Aston Villa: £25m star could leave Villa Park this summer

Aston Villa ‘would be wise’ to keep hold of striker Danny Ings beyond the current campaign, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The 29-year-old only joined the Midlands outfit last summer after completing a £25 million switch from Southampton, but his time at the club hasn’t gone to plan so far.

Ings revived his career on the south coast following three frustrating, injury-plagued years at Premier League giants Liverpool.

In 100 appearances for the Saints across all competitions, the three-cap England international registered 46 goals and 10 assists, cementing his status as one of the top-flights leading marksmen.

His impressive form at St. Mary’s prompted former Villa manager Dean Smith to splash out a substantial fee to secure his services as he looked to replace the output of Jack Grealish.

However, Ings has struggled to hit the heights expected of him in claret and blue, racking up just five strikes and laying on five assists in 25 outings this season.

Under the tutelage of Steven Gerrard, the usually clinical finisher has only completed a full 90 minutes on three occasions and doubts have surfaced over his long-term future at Villa Park.

Despite the speculation surrounding Ings’ potentially imminent move away, O’Rourke believes Villa would be better off keeping the forward on their books for a little while longer.

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He told GiveMeSport: “For Danny Ings, there has been talk of a possible move away, the likes of Brighton have been mentioned and other clubs as well.

“I still think Ings, if he gets a regular run in the team, he’s proved at Southampton that he can score goals in the Premier League. So, I think Villa would be wise to keep