Villa reportedly reignite interest in Vegard Forren

Aston Villa are eyeing up an international level centre back, according to reports in Norway.

Per Eurosport.no, former Southampton and Brighton man Vegard Forren in on the radar of Steve Bruce and Villa.

The report, translated from Norwegian, states that 29 year old Forren, who is a free agent following the expiry of his Brighton contract, was approached by Steve Bruce in January, though the player would wind up with the Seagulls instead. That move did not pan out, and a move to B6 is again said to be on the cards.

Now, my Norwegian isn't that good, but this seems to be quite a speculative piece. The only concrete parts are as follows:

• Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, manager of Molde, has ruled out a return to the club for Forren.
• Forren and his agent have refused to comment on any potential destinations. He did not confirm or deny a potential move to Villa.

So what would Forren bring to the table? Depth, is the obvious answer. After James Chester and Nathan Baker, Villa don't have many options in the heart of defence. Sure, you have Tommy Elphick, but I'd rather we didn't, to be honest. Experience is another factor. Forren has 33 caps for Norway. However, in two spells in England, he has not made a single first team appearance, which is a bit puzzling.

On a free, Forren doesn't sound like a bad signing. The only question mark is perhaps one of ambition. Signing Forren as a backup cements Baker as a starting centre back. Is he good enough for that role, in a side chasing promotion? Time will tell.