Aston Villa manager Dean Smith is keen on signing Bournemouth midfielder David Brooks, according to Mirror Football.

The 23-year-old shone during his debut Premier League season with the Cherries after joining them from Sheffield United, finishing the campaign with seven goals and five assists.

A serious injury curtailed his game-time and form last season but Brooks has bounced back this term. In 16 Championship outings, he's returned three goals and five assists to help keep Bournemouth well in the race for automatic promotion. 

That appears to have caught the attention of those at Villa Park. The Midlands side are reportedly determined to continue improving their squad despite a £200m outlay during the last three transfer windows. 

Villa are also keen on Reading's Michael Olise, although no time scale is given on when Villa might launch official bids for the Championship pair. 

Likewise, there are no further details on potential cost.

However, Brooks is now into the final 18 months of his contract according to Transfermarkt, meaning Bournemouth may not be in a position to demand much more than the website's valuation of the Welshman - £16.2m. 

GIVEMESPORT's Christy Malyan says...

Let's not kid ourselves here. Jack Grealish's days at Villa Park are sadly numbered. Manchester City and Manchester United have both been linked with the England international, and Villa are now in a catch-22 situation where the better he plays for them, the more likely a big-money summer exit becomes. 

But in Brooks, Villa may well have identified a perfect successor to their talismanic midfielder. Of course, Grealish and Brooks aren't operating at the same level right now - for starters, they're in different divisions - but the Welshman shares some key traits with Villa's star man. 

They both have that ability to score and create from midfield, they can impact games from out wide or centrally, and they've got the guile to take the ball under pressure yet still make something happen. 

When Grealish does move on, he'll leave a seismic hole at Villa that no single player will be able to directly fill - Smith will need several of his key players to step up and take on some of Grealish's responsibilities. 

But in terms of style of play, Brooks can replicate a lot of what Grealish gives to the team as a likeminded playmaker who jinks around the pitch and pops up with goals from midfield - and at just 23 years of age, he appears to be a wise long-term investment.