Notts County are looking to add their ninth signing of the summer transfer window in the form of Aston Villa midfielder Tommi O'Reilly.
The Athletic's Villa correspondent Jacob Tanswell reported that the newly-promoted League One outfit are 'in talks' to add the 22-year-old to their midfield ranks.
O'Reilly was closing in on a loan switch to The Magpies' third tier rivals Sheffield Wednesday last week, but the move collapsed following discussions.
He is expected to receive regular game-time at Meadow Lane, and it's believed that this could be a leading factor in O'Reilly's decision to join the Nottingham-based outfit and not The Owls.
O'Reilly emerged through the youth academy at Aston Villa -- his boyhood club -- and was first called up to the first team setup under the stewardship of Steven Gerrard in the 2021/22 campaign.
He was handed his debut for the West Midlands outfit in their 1-1 draw away at Zrinjski in the UEFA Conference League in December 2023, before being sent out on his first loan move to Spanish outfit Real Union just over a month later.
It was a relatively underwhelming stint in Spain, making just two appearances, left out of the matchday squad on eight occasions and an unused substitute on seven occasions.
He spent time on loan with Shrewsbury Town and MK Dons in the 2024/25 term but failed to impress in both spells, and so his subsequent loan switch to Crewe Alexandra was a defining one last campaign.
He enjoyed the best spell of his career at The Mornflake Stadium, scoring seven goals and registering 12 assists in 46 League Two games as Crewe recorded an 11th place finish.
O'Reilly has captured plenty of interest from EFL Clubs this summer after an impressive season in the fourth tier -- where he plied his from from the right of midfield and in an attacking midfield role -- and it's Notts County who look destined to secure the his signature on a temporary basis ahead of their League One return.
