Bandon's Conor Hourihane has quietly established himself as one of the finest footballers in the Championship this season.
The 25-year-old Barnsley captain has scored six goals and registered 11 assists for the Yorkshire club since August, and is now reportedly on the verge of joining Aston Villa in a career-altering move this January.
In recent weeks it has been reported that Steve Bruce's club are willing to pay Hourihane upwards of £26,000-per-week should he join his former Sunderland manager at Villa Park. Today, Daniel McDonnell of The Irish Independent writes that Villa are close to securing a deal to sign Hourihane for £3m - three times the fee offered by Sheffield Wednesday at the start of this window, and twice what Villa initially wished to pay for him.
Hourihane is out of contract at the end of this season, and so £3m is no minor fee, but Bruce and Villa see the former Douglas Hall man as being capable of making the jump to Premier League level should Villa return in the near future.
There is, however, one minor detail currently holding up the deal: Barnsley don't currently have a chief executive - a rather key figure for any club when negotiating transfers.
Their former chief executive stepped down last Thursday - in the middle of a number of negotiations - with Barnsley releasing the following statement:
Yesterday, Linton Brown, chief executive, left the Club. This is a very critical period of the season for Barnsley Football Club given the dynamics of the transfer window.
The Club has now commenced its search for a replacement. In the meantime, Chairman Maurice Watkins, supported by external advisors, will continue to assist Paul Heckingbottom with recruitment in particular.
Barnsley's lack of chief executive has naturally complicated both deals, but they should be completed before the window shuts next week.
However, according to the Plymouth Herald (NB: Plymouth Argyle are due a proportion of Villa's fee to Barnsley), the delay and general hoopla surrounding Hourihane's potential departure has turned the heads of a number of Premier League clubs.
