By Aydan Anderson
December 14 2004

With blues in the hunt for a striker come January, Steve Bruce's men are being linked with a long list of players throughout the media. The latest speculation focuses on the Championships leading goalscorer Dean Ashton...

According to various media sources the blues are set to make a £3m bid for Crewes Dean Ashton. The story has appeared in a few gossip columns on various websites and blues scouts are rumoured to have been to Gresty Road for to watch Ashton in recent weeks.

Ashton is the Championships leading goalscorer with 18 goals so far this season and at just 21 he could be a good addition to the blues squad should Bruce be willing to splash the cash on another unproven striker after already signing young Finnish player Njazi Kuqi. 

Ashton has represented England at under 21 level and has had scouts from Premier League clubs looking at him for a number of years. He has recently been linked with a January move to Blues, Villa, Man City and Southampton amongst others. But Crewe manager Dario Gradi has said that the attention has not unsettled the young striker:

"He is the leading scorer in the league and that is bound to attract attention."

"It doesn't unsettle me as a manager and it doesn't appear to unsettle Dean. We just get on with it."