Two years ago, Nottingham Forest were keen on signing Luton Town youngster James Justin at the age of 19.
Then Reds boss Mark Warburton was ready to pay £1m to secure the signature of the highly-rated full-back, before the Bedfordshire club rejected those advances and he penned a new deal.
Fast forward two years and Justin is understood to be on the verge of a £7.5m move to Premier League side Leicester City.
Newly-promoted Aston Villa, fresh from their play-off win over Derby County, were reported to have a lodged a similar bid with the Kenilworth Road club.
According to Football Insider, Dean Smith’s Villa are now resigned to missing out on Justin, with Brendan Rodgers leading the way to take him to the King Power Stadium.
Crystal Palace, Southampton and Fulham have also been linked with a move for the versatile defender, who was named in the League One Team of the Year, while his former Hatters boss Nathan Jones has reportedly not given up hope of luring him to Stoke City.
Following their second successive promotion, Luton boss Graeme Jones admitted the Championship newcomers could be forced into parting with their most-prized asset.
“It would be silly of me to think, ‘I’ll cash in,’ I don’t want to cash in on anybody,” he admitted.
“But the reality is that with the season the boys have had, that might be the case.
“I hope not, but I need to be ready for every eventuality.”
