Aston Villa sign forward Danny Ings from Southampton

Journeyman striker and former England international Danny Ings joined Aston Villa from Southampton on a three-year deal on Wednesday, the Premier League club announced.

The 29-year-old arrives on the same day Villa announced the signing of Jamaican striker Leon Bailey from Bayer Leverkusen on a deal running until 2025.

With Villa bracing themselves to lose captain Jack Grealish to Manchester City for a British record £100million (117m euros), boss Dean Smith said he hoped Ings’s experience would have a knock on effect in the squad.

“Danny is an outstanding Premier League footballer who has scored goals wherever he has played,” Smith said of the former Burnley and Liverpool man.

“He is also a top professional with a great character who will be a leader in our squad and a role model for our rapidly developing young academy players.”

Ings scored 13 goals for Saints last season and joins fellow summer recruits Bailey, Emi Buendia and Ashley Young at Villa Park.

Premier League champions Manchester City have been chasing the 25-year-old England star Grealish and are reportedly close to concluding a deal after offering Villa what would be a record fee.