Aston Villa sign Danny Drinkwater on-loan

The 29-year-old spent the first half of the 2019/20 campaign at Burnley, but failed to make an impact under Sean Dyche.

That prompted Chelsea to bring the former Leicester star, who signed for the Blues in 2017 for £35m, back to Stamford Bridge with a view to send him back out on-loan this month.

Dean Smith was delighted to secure the signing of the midfielder.

“Danny was a key member of Leicester City’s title winning team and has represented England so he is a vastly experienced player." Smith said.

“He will strengthen our squad significantly.”

Villa meanwhile, have seen their transfer plans accelerated following injuries to a number of key players including Wesley, Tom Heaton and John McGinn.

Drinkwater's signing offers cover for the latter, who was ruled out for three months after suffering a fractured ankle last month.

The move ends Smith's chances of signing Olivier Giroud or Michy Batshuayi in a similar temporary deal, with Premier League clubs only allowed to loan a single player from fellow sides in the top flight.

It does not stop Villa making a move for either player on a permanent basis, with the club now in need of reinforcements up-front.

Smith previously stated his desire to do business quickly in January, with Jonathan Kodjia and Keinan Davis the only other senior strikers at the club ahead of the upcoming raft of fixtures.