Aston Villa could be interested in making a move for Irish international midfielder Harry Arter, according to the Irish Independent.

Arter has been with Cardiff City this season after joining on a loan deal from fellow Premier League club Bournemouth, and following his good form for Neil Warnock's men, Cherries manager Eddie Howe could recall the experienced midfielder.

Villa's interest in Arter could be rendered a non starter though, with Premier League Watford also reportedly showing an interest in signing the Irishman should they sell Abdoulaye Doucoure.

Villa have been in a woeful run of form of late which has seen any hopes of making a push for the play-off places something of a pipe dream now, with Dean Smith finding it hard to strike a balance between his blend of attacking football and keeping it solid at the back.

Signing someone like Arter would have been the perfect sort of move for the club, but Smith will know that competing with Premier League clubs will make any move for Arter hard to pull off.

The Irish midfielder will no doubt be keen to remain in the Premier League too, meaning Villa's fight to sign Arter could well be an uphill task.

The Verdict

It's hard to see this ever happening for Villa, who are up against Premier League wages as well as trying to sign a player who is top flight quality.

Arter would like to avoid a move into the Championship if he can help it, and if Villa do pull this off, it would be a minor miracle.