Villa linked with Vienna hitman

Aston Villa have been linked with a January move for Austria Vienna striker Christoph Monschein as boss Dean Smith seeks more goals in the quest for survival.
Villa have enjoyed a predictable return to the Premier League and sit 17th of the 20 teams, with 11 points from 12 games played.
They are three points clear of 18th-placed Watford but know that the Hornets are probably not as bad as their position suggests and could easily get on a roll.
With that in mind, Smith has already made it clear that he will look for additions to his squad when the winter window opens, with a striker one of his priorities.
The Villans have scored 17 top-flight goals this term but five of those came in one match when they thrashed Norwich City at Carrow Road.
According to a report by Sport 24, Villa scouts have been keeping tabs on Monschein, who has bagged 10 goals from 14 Austrian Bundesliga outings in 2019-2020.
Yet to be capped by Austria, it seems as though the 27-year-old has been flying under the radar to a certain extent but the reports claim Vienna are still looking for a fee in the region of 5m euros.
Die Veilchen may be open to a January sale as they continue to struggle financially although it is unlikely that manager Christian Ilzer would be keen to lose his main goal threat.
Erling #Haaland, Mario #Leitgeb, Christoph #Monschein oder Boris #Cmiljanic?
Wähle jetzt das Tor der 4. Runde ⚽ Zum VOTING: https://t.co/h2TVVDdtRX@RedBullSalzburg | @WolfsbergerAC | @FKAustriaWien | @FCAdmiraWacker pic.twitter.com/sLil6w6wKm
— Sky Sport Austria (@SkySportAustria) August 20, 2019
Although the sums being mentioned are not great by the standards of the top clubs, even spending that amount on a player who has only ever operated in his homeland would be considered a risk.
However, Villa may well be in the relegation zone if and when Monschein arrives as, following Saturday’s clash with Newcastle United, they face Manchester United, Chelsea and Leicester City in a tough run of games heading towards Christmas.