Free agent Emmanuel Adebayor has offered himself to injury-hit Aston Villa.

The former Tottenham, Manchester City and Arsenal star is seen as a shock option to fire the club to safety.

Villa boss Dean Smith has been left short of choices after seeing striker Wesley and keeper Tom Heaton ruled out for the season with knee injuries.

It means the club now have to spread their shoestring transfer budget across two key positions — and consider free transfers or loans to bolster their squad, says The Sun.

Adebayor's camp know this — and have spotted what they believe is an unlikely opportunity for him to return to the Premier League at a late stage in his career.

The Togolese frontman, 36 next month, is a free agent after leaving Turkish side Kayserispor last month, meaning he would be available to come in immediately without a fee.

His advisers hope that fact — and his Premier League experience — might be enough for Villa to take a gamble on him as a cheap option, allowing them to also target another forward in a loan or small cash deal in the transfer window.