Aston Villa’s reported transfer bid for Robbie Brady surely can’t be for real

Robbie Brady is generating a lot of speculation in the January transfer window and the name of one club just won't go away. Aston Villa want the Dubliner but they're not the only ones.

Crystal Palace, West Ham and Leicester City have all been linked with moves for Brady and Newcastle United are also said to be interested. That has not stopped Villa from aiming for the stars. Steve Bruce's side are 12th in the Championship but looking a much tighter outfit since a shaky start to the season saw Roberto di Matteo lose his job. The firmest expression of interest has come from Palace boss Sam Allardyce, who said he would be keen on securing Brady's services. The Londoners want to start the bidding for Brady at £10m, which makes Villa's planned transfer offer interesting but somewhat underwhelming. The Sun is reporting that Villa will offer Norwich City forward Ross McCormack in a straight swap for the 24-year-old. McCormack may have been signed for £12m by Villa over the summer but he has failed to live up to the price-tag. He has scored three goals and registered a single assist in his 21 games [14 starts] for Villa this season. The fact that Villa want to trade a misfiring forward for a talisman of the Irish side and one that has proved versatile and inspirational for Norwich, at times, this season seems a mighty stretch. The only aspect of their bid that could tempt Brady is the reported offer of wages at £50,000 per week. However, were Brady to step up to the Premier League, he could expect to earn somewhere in that region. Villa may yet trade McCormack for Brady but Norwich would certainly be entitled to ask for a significant stipend from their promotion rivals.