Aston Villa still in talks to sign Paris Saint-Germain attacker Marco Asensio if Lucas Paqueta does not join | OneFootball

Aston Villa are still in talks to sign Paris Saint-Germain attacker Marco Asensio if a move for West Ham United star Lucas Paqueta does not materialise, according to The Athletic journalist Jacob Tanswell.

Villa want the Brazilian at the Villa Park club, with manager Unai Emery and the recruitment staff big admirers of the 28-year-old.

However, getting West Ham to agree to a deal could prove tricky due to finances, and the Villans want a plan B in place if a move for Paqueta falls through.

Asensio spent the second half of last term on loan with the Midlands, weighing in with eight goals and one assist in 21 appearances.

Agreeing personal terms with the PSG star is unlikely to be an issue.

However, agreeing a fee with the Ligue 1 has proven tricky to date.

The Spaniard will be eager to return to Villa as he is not in the plans of PSG, and Emery could do with such an attacker within his ranks.

Another loan deal could work out given the financial situation the Villans have found themselves in after UEFA recently fined them for breaching Financial Fair Play rules.

However, PSG may not be open to that arrangement again and Villa may need to look elsewhere for another attacker.

They were reportedly keen on parting with an initial £5 million to sign Paqueta on loan, with an obligation to buy him for £45m included in the package.

However, the Hammers are not keen on doing a temporary deal and would prefer to sell him instead.

Villa are running out of time to bring in the attacking reinforcements needed to bolster their squad depth.

Other targets could emerge in the coming hours, but failure to get one quality option in the final third could be a blow as they look to challenge strongly across all competitions.