Villa boss Bruce hopeful of Bolasie loan deal

Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce is hopeful of signing Yannick Bolasie on loan from Everton.

Bolasie joined Everton for a reported fee of £25million in August 2016 after impressing at Crystal Palace.

The forward suffered an anterior cruciate knee ligament injury in December 2016 and struggled for regular playing time upon his return to action last season.

Villa lost the Championship play-off final to Fulham in May, and Bruce is seeking to bring in attacking reinforcements as he attempts to guide the West Midlands club back into the top flight.

"If we can put the icing on the cake with Bolasie tomorrow then it's exactly what we're looking for," he said after the 2-2 draw at home to Brentford on Wednesday.

"He was here [watching the game] and we hope we can tie it up. The one thing we haven't got - with the injuries we have - is anything up the top end of the pitch if we need to change things. He'll give us that."