Former Tottenham defender Alan Hutton believes Kelechi Iheanacho would only serve as a squad player at Aston Villa if he moves to Villa Park this summer, Sportblog247.com reports.

Iheanacho is in his final week at Leicester City, where he has spent the last seven years, scoring 61 goals and providing 34 assists in 232 games. The Nigerian striker has been linked to a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia, which could be his most financially rewarding deal yet.

With his Leicester contract ending this summer, Iheanacho is expected to secure a financially beneficial move to Saudi Arabia. Last season, he scored five goals to help Leicester return to the Premier League.

Aston Villa has also shown interest in Iheanacho, who might be tempted by their upcoming Champions League campaign. Football Insider reported that Villa is monitoring the 27-year-old Nigerian striker, with sporting director Monchi already having spoken to his representatives. Villa is reportedly considering Iheanacho as a replacement for Jhon Duran, with the 20-year-old Colombian international attracting interest from Chelsea.

Speaking to Villa News, Hutton expressed his opinion that Villa should aim higher than Iheanacho, whom he doesn’t see as an upgrade over Duran.

“I feel like they will aim for a higher target,” Hutton said. “I mean, we’re talking about a Champions League team here. I like Duran, but I just don’t think Iheanacho is an upgrade, if I’m honest.”

Hutton suggested that while Iheanacho could be a useful squad player for cup games, he doubted the Nigerian would challenge Ollie Watkins for the starting spot.

“Watkins for me is number one. There’s no getting away from that,” the former Villa star added. “You need somebody else. You can’t go through a full campaign as well as Europe, just having one striker.”

Iheanacho, a proven goalscorer, has Champions League experience, having scored twice in three games for Manchester City in the 2016/17 season. He is also one of Nigeria’s top performers in Premier League history, with 42 goals and 25 assists in 196 appearances.