Danny Ings Transfer News & Odds

Striker Danny Ings was announced as Aston Villa’s fourth signing of the 2021 summer transfer window, with the secretive nature of how the deal took place and how it was announced out of the blue surprising many.

But, the recent news surrounding the striker is sure to shock many again, with reports in recent weeks linking Ings with a move away from Villa Park after just one season. Ings has failed to nail down a regular starting place under Steven Gerrard, with Ollie Watkins generally being preferred up top instead of Ings.

And with Villa looking to make signings in other areas of their squad for next season, the sale of Ings could be one way of raising funds to address other issues they feel that they need to solve before the start of the next Premier League season. Here, we take a look at some of the clubs that Danny Ings could join were he to leave Aston Villa.

Brighton's problem position has been a striker for a long while now. While Brighton's players do create plenty of chances per game, they simply don't have a clinical striker who can get on the end of those chances and finish them.

The Seagulls rank 15th in the league for goals scored this season, with just 42, averaging just 1.11 goals a match. And despite their impressive ninth-place finish this season, that was brought about by their ability to grind out draws against teams, not because of their ability to win.

With 12 wins this season, which has been bettered by lower-placed teams such as Aston Villa, Brentford and Newcastle, it is not sustainable for the club if they carry on like this and they will end up lower down the table, so it is imperative that Graham Potter signs a striker this summer.

Brighton have shown a willingness to spend big on forwards previously, with Neal Maupay, Jurgen Locadia and Alireza Jahanbakhsh all arriving for big fees in recent years. So, a similar fee would surely be able to net them a player like Ings, who is clinical, Premier League-proven, and can be the main man going forward in Graham Potter's project.

And Ings would be an upgrade on some of Brighton's current forwards, with both Danny Welbeck and Neal Maupay never scoring more than 10 goals in a Premier League season - something Ings has done twice. And funding a deal for Ings wouldn't be a problem – Marc Cucurella has been linked with a move to Man City and Yves Bissouma has been linked with both Arsenal and Liverpool, and these players would fetch hefty transfer fees were they to depart.

A move for the Englishman makes a lot of sense and is something that Brighton should definitely consider.

The odds of this deal occurring are currently at 4/1 - Click on the link to claim this bet in your bet slip!

It was a disappointing season for David Moyes' West Ham side as they put all their eggs in the Europa League basket, with a top-six finish seemingly slipping away from them. But they were knocked out by Eintracht Frankfurt at the semi-final stage, missing out on reaching a major European final in what would have been the first one for the club in 46 years.

But, despite faltering towards the end, Moyes can take pride in how his squad performed over the course of the season and secured a top-seven Premier League finish for a second consecutive year. But now, Moyes' focus will be on strengthening his squad this summer as he looks to lead the Hammers again next season.

West Ham have many talented attackers who have performed superbly this season, and that is the reason why the club has managed such impressive performances both domestically and in Europe. The likes of Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio both performed well over the course of the season, but Moyes will surely be looking to add reinforcements to his frontline.

Although Antonio performed well in the league, scoring 10 goals, he fared a little less better in Europe, scoring just two - one against a poor Dinamo Zagreb side in the group stages and one against Frankfurt. If Moyes had had another top striker at his disposal for when Antonio was not performing, perhaps that would've been enough to get West Ham into the final.

So, adding a bit of depth, essentially a Plan B-type striker, is surely on Moyes' summer wish list - Ings could be the man that Moyes looks at. Ings has proven to be a very clinical striker when he is fit and leading the line, and his 22 goals in the 2019-20 season is more than any West Ham player has been able to score in a season since the inception of the Premier League.

With a low fee of around £25m-£30m (which they have done for many players in recent years) surely enough for a deal to be struck, it makes Ings an attractive option for West Ham. And with Andriy Yarmolenko's contract expiring this month and it looks likely that the winger will be leaving the club, Moyes will need reinforcements anyway for his forward line, so why not start with Ings?

The odds of Danny Ings joining the Hammers are 6/1.

A return to St Mary's is also a possibility for Ings, who enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career at Southampton.

The forward scored a stunning 22 goals during the 2019-20 season, so a return to the club where he produced his best form is something that would be beneficial for both club and player.

The Saints are in desperate need of a striker, managing just 43 goals this season, which means they are the 14th highest scoring team out of the Premier League’s 20 this season.

Shane Long will likely leave the club with his contract up this month, and at 35, it makes sense for Southampton to let him go, with the Irishman contributing to just one goal in 13 outings this season. Adam Armstrong has scored just two goals this season, so Ings would be an upgrade on him as well.

Despite impressing with six goals, on-loan Armando Broja is simply not what Southampton need. The 20-year-old has plenty of time to grow into a top-class centre-forward, but perhaps a loan to a Championship side would be better for his development.

Southampton needs a player who is experienced and can instantly make an impact - Broja, who at one point this season went on a 13-game run without a goal, is not that player. But their former talisman, Ings, is. And this makes him a very attractive proposition for Southampton, and so a move could happen.

The odds of Ings joining the Saints are currently 10/1.

Fulham finished the 2021-22 season as winners of the Championship, finishing first with 90 points, and it meant that the Cottagers will be back in the Premier League at the first time of trying since they were relegated from the top flight in the 2020-21 season.

If Fulham wants to avoid the drop and stay up this time, then it is imperative that they strengthen their team in the summer before the new league season starts. And one way of strengthening their side is by signing not only talented players but ones with experience of the top-flight that can seamlessly slot into the starting XI and make an impact.

The signings of players like Jean Michael Seri and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa in seasons gone past were poor decisions by the club – big fees were spent on the duo with no plan for how they and their skillsets would fit into Fulham’s system and style of play. Despite the big outlay, Fulham got nothing back from those players, so it is vital that they get their recruitment correct this time around.

One position that may need addressing in the eyes of manager Marco Silva is upfront. Now Aleksandar Mitrovic did score 43 goals this season, but keep in mind that he put those figures up in the Championship. The Premier League is a whole different ball game – and Mitrovic’s previous patchy goalscoring form when in the top flight may have Marco Silva looking to buy a striker this summer.

The Serbian’s highest Premier League tally is 11 goals, which he achieved in the 2018/19 season. Overall, Mitrovic has just 24 goals in over 100 top-flight appearances, and this might be playing on Silva's mind. So, a striker like Ings, who is proven in the top-flight and can score a heap of goals, is something that may appeal to Fulham.

The current odds of the striker joining the Cottagers are 12/1.