Aston Villa are favourites to land Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Villa head coach Dean Smith wants to bolster his midfield options before the transfer deadline on October 5.

Having already spent £85million in this window, the club are now only interested in signing players on loan - specifically looking at Loftus-Cheek and Blues teammate Ross Barkley, says the Daily Mail.

Despite an interest in both players, the league regulations stipulate that only one loan can take place between the same two Premier League clubs.

Given that Loftus-Cheek was left out of Frank Lampard's squad for their game against Liverpool on Sunday, Villa are said to be prioritising the 24-year-old this summer.