Norwich City hold an interest in a loan swoop for Aston Villa defender Lamare Bogarde, according to reports.
Football Insider's Pete O'Rouke is reporting that City are ready to rival Championship rivals West Brom for the teenager's signature next month.
The report suggests that Unai Emery is currently assessing Bogarde before a decision is made on whether or not to allow the defender to continue his progress on a loan away from Villa.
Smith has worked with Bogarde during his time in charge at Villa Park and has already utilised his connections to bring Aaron Ramsey in on a season-long loan from his old club in the summer.
With City boss Dean Smith having previously managed Aston Villa, Norwich supporters have become accustomed to several links to players with a connection to the Midlands club.
Norwich are poised to welcome Andrew Omobamidele back from injury after the World Cup break and young Jonathan Tomkinson has made his senior league debut against Burnley this season.
Experienced campaigners Grant Hanley and Ben Gibson complete City's stable of central defensive options and it is unlikely that they will seek to add to their ranks in this area of the pitch.
Bogarde joined Villa from Feyenoord in 2020 and was named on the bench for three Premier League games earlier this season.
As it currently stands, it is understood that Norwich are not preparing for a frenetic January window.
Sporting director Stuart Webber notoriously prefers the summer window to complete their relevant player trading ahead of the season.
Aston Villa defender Lamare Bogarde is a loan target for West Brom and Norwich in January. #AVFC #WBAFC #ncfc https://t.co/AIRcXLAYIB
— Pete O'Rourke (@SportsPeteO) December 7, 2022
Finance director Anthony Richens recently revealed that funds for the winter window would be limited during an episode of the Insight hosted on the Canaries' official channels.
“As of today, we believe that we have a strong enough squad to compete and to get us promoted," he said.
“We worked tirelessly in the summer, first of all to keep our club together but also to bring in some players that would maximise the opportunity to get promoted back to the Premier League.
“Having said that, we have to understand that we have injuries and other things going on on the pitch so we always look to January. As it stands today, if we were to do anything in January, then we would need alternative financing be it through a player sale or other financing means.”
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