Aston Villa are still keen on signing 23-year-old Isaac Hayden from top flight Newcastle United, despite seeing a rival turned down recently according to the Daily Mirror via the Yorkshire Post.

An approach by West Brom was turned down for the former England Under 21 international last week, but that will not deter Dean Smith in his pursuit of the player.

Hayden came through the ranks at Arsenal, earning his England youth honours whilst playing for the Gunners. He made two League Cup appearances for them, as well as enjoying fruitful loan spells with Hull City in the Championship.

That prompted Newcastle to offer him a five year deal in 2016, where he has started 48 league games. This season he's struggled to impose himself on Rafa Benitez's side, with just five starts and a further four outings from the bench.

He was sent of in his first match of the campaign against Cardiff City and has since been in and out of the side.

The Magpies are currently 18th in the Premier League table, one point from safety with a more favourable goal difference than Cardiff City who are directly above them.

The Verdict

Are Villa setting themselves up for a fall here? Hayden is a good player, but with West Brom already turned down, aren't they just pursuing a target they'll never catch?

Also, do they need midfielders with a pressing urgency? They seem to be intent on adding to their offering in the middle of the park, but surely they still need to sort out the wide areas, certainly in the back four.