Bolton Wanderers & Huddersfield Town set for summer transfer battle over Aston Villa winger | OneFootball

A Villa youngster currently excelling in League Two is on the radar of some top third tier sides

Bolton Wanderers and Huddersfield Town could both find themselves in a League One play-off battle come the end of the 2025-26 season - and they're also in the running for the same winger prospect this summer that's currently on fire in the division below.

Separated by less than 40 miles and the sprawling Pennines, the Trotters and the Terriers are not too dissimilar as clubs in recent years, although the latter have been in the Premier League far more recently and also haven't been in League Two since 1980.

Both are now trying to find their way back to the Championship, but whilst Liam Manning's Huddersfield are somewhat embroiled in a battle to secure their top six position before the end of the campaign, Steven Schumacher's Bolton already look in there.

And whilst the automatic promotion spots aren't closed off yet, it would take a mammoth effort from the Greater Manchester outfit to overtake one of Cardiff City or Lincoln City - although more results like Saturday's miraculous 3-2 comeback victory over Wycombe Wanderers would do just fine.

Aston Villa winger Tommi O'Reilly on Bolton Wanderers & Huddersfield Town radar

Whilst the season is not over by a long shot just yet for either club, transfer plans will be being drawn up in the event of two possible scenarios for Bolton and Huddersfield - one list will be a Championship one, and the other will be in the event of staying in the third tier.

And as per a report from Alan Nixon, the two Northern outfits are both looking at Aston Villa starlet Tommi O'Reilly ahead of the summer, with the attacking midfielder/winger currently making a major impression on loan at Crewe Alexandra.

It is claimed that both clubs are 'leading the race' to land the 22-year-old in a few months time, with the Birmingham-born starlet looking to make the next step up the ladder after seemingly conquering League Two.

O'Reilly has had some muddling loan stints away from Villa Park recently, having failed to make much of an impact at Shrewsbury Town and MK Dons last season in both League One and League Two, but he has really set alight at Gresty Road this season.

With six goals and 11 League Two assists to his name from the right flank, O'Reilly has been a shining light for Lee Bell's play-off chasing Railwaymen, and he's caught the attention of bigger, higher-placed clubs as a result.

Contracted at Villa until the summer of 2028, Unai Emery's side could potentially cash in on the academy graduate this summer if an acceptable offer comes in, with the likelihood of O'Reilly breaking through into the first-team at Villa Park now looking extremely slim.

Tommi O'Reilly could end up being perfect League One permanent signing in summer

It remains to be seen if Villa would be interested in letting O'Reilly go on a permanent basis, but they have showed with the likes of Kaine Kesler-Hayden and others that they're willing to cash in on their young players if they no longer see a pathway for them at the club.

Those players could then go on to improve past the level they're sold to, but sell-on clauses in deals mean that Villa would still have a vested interest in their future - and that's probably likely to happen with O'Reilly.

Given he's now 22 and still only playing on loan in League Two, he's probably going to have to carve out a future away from the Midlands outfit, but joining a forward-thinking, attack-minded League One club could be that next step.

Bolton - if they don't win promotion of course - will have a big hole to fill on the right flank in the summer with the loans of Rob Apter and Amario Cozier-Duberry ending, and if they do not manage to win promotion, that could be the perfect chance for someone like O'Reilly to come in and try and make a difference.

And whilst Huddersfield boss Liam Manning isn't currently utilising wingers in his starting line-up, he may adapt over the summer to become more flexible with his systems, which could make the need for a player like O'Reilly become important.