Aston Villa will persist with attempts to sign James Beattie before the transfer window shuts at the end of the month despite having a £6million bid turned down.
The Southampton striker is also believed to be the target of Tottenham and Charlton but Villa are the only club to have put in a bid.
Manager David O'Leary says he will not look for an alternative attacking option if he fails to land the 26-year-old before the August 31 deadline.
“Beattie to me fits the bill for us. If we can't get him we go without,” O'Leary said, “We don't want to wait but if we had to take the Beattie interest through to January, we'd look at that.”
All I can say is that I think there's a player that definitely wants to join us. He has an opportunity to join a few people, but I think he sees the way we play is good for strikers and that he'll get a few goals, O'Leary told Aston Villa’s official website.
Filed by Eilish Barry
