Watford have reportedly made an approach to Premier League rivals Aston Villa for the signing of 26-year-old defender Kortney Hause in the January transfer window.

According to a report from Football Insider, Aston Villa defender Kortney Hause has emerged as a transfer target for Premier League strugglers Watford ahead of the January window.

Hause started at the West Ham United academy, where he spent eight years before signing for Birmingham City’s youth setup in 2011. A few months later, the defender moved to Wycombe Wanderers in early 2012 and broke into the senior team in the same year, aged just 17. After 31 appearances for the club, he signed for Wolves in January 2014.

The 26-year-old went on to feature 80 times for the Black Country outfit but was never a regular fixture in the side. And after a loan spell with Aston Villa in the first half of 2019, he joined the West Midlands club on a permanent transfer in the summer. However, much like his stint with Wolves, Hause has been unable to establish himself as a consistent starter in the lineup.

To date, Hause has taken the pitch on just 52 occasions for the Villans and finds himself behind the likes of Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings in the pecking order while on-loan defender Axel Tuanzebe has also featured in more fixtures than the ex-Wolves man in the ongoing campaign.

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Hause will see his contract expire at the end of the season. And, Watford have decided to make the most of the situation by luring him to Vicarage Road in January. The Hornets have struggled defensively in the ongoing campaign, having shipped in 35 goals in 17 Premier League encounters. Only three teams have conceded more than Claudio Ranieri’s side this season.

In order to escape the plight of relegation come the end of the season, Watford will need to turn things around in the second half of the campaign. And Ranieri & co. are looking to improve their defensive options in the January transfer window to improve their chances of survival.

It has led to links with West Ham United defender Issa Diop, while Hause has also now emerged as a target. The report claims that the Hornets have already lodged an enquiry with Villa to check the feasibility of a transfer in the winter window.

On the one hand, Steven Gerrard’s side could consider cashing in on Hause in January rather than losing him for nothing at the end of the season. However, with reports claiming that Tuanzebe’s loan spell is set to be cut short ahead of a transfer to Napoli, the Villans will need adequate depth in the ranks, which could force them to hold on to the ex-West Ham academy man.

Although, a sale could become a possibility if Gerrard decides to bring in a new centre-back, with there being links to Liverpool ace Joe Gomez already. So, it remains to be seen how the situation surrounding Hause and Villa’s defensive options evolves in the coming weeks.

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