Aston Villa have joined the race for Hearts left-back Aaron Hickey.

The 18-year-old is a man in demand this summer and the likes of Bayern Munich and Bologna are keen on him as well.

As per reports (via Daily Record), the player is valued at £1.5m.

It will be interesting to see if Aston Villa make a move for the talented young defender in the coming days.

Bologna are thought to be leading the chase right now and they are expected to open talks with Hearts soon.

Aston Villa might need to get a move on unless they want to miss out on the top prospect.

Hickey has the talent to develop into a star and he would be a superb long-term investment for Dean Smith’s side. Aston Villa cannot afford to spend heavily every year and they should look to pick up long-term prospects every now and then.

Hickey could save them millions in future and for the reported price, he should be a no-brainer for Villa.

It remains to be seen whether they can convince the player though. He might want to join a club where he will play regularly.

That said, Targett has been quite inconsistent for Villa this season and the path to the first team at Villa might not be too difficult for Hickey.

If Hickey is anything like our last purchase from Scotland he could be one hell of a prospect!