Liverpool and Spurs on alert as Villa panic over Delph sale
Published:
Aston Villa look like having their hand forced over contract rebel Fabian Delph as the club don’t wish to see the England midfielder walk away for nothing in the summer.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, Villa can hardly forfeit any of their best players as they fight to stave off relegation this season – priced at 11/4 for the drop currently.
However, failure to collect a transfer fee for one of their prize assets is also a hugely unwelcome prospect, and one which seems to be a bigger deterrent at Villa according to latest reports.
The Daily Mirror says the Midlands club would prefer to cash in on the former Leeds youth product, setting a minimum price of £4m for the midfielder.
With Liverpool and Tottenham having monitored the rumbling contract situation closely this season, this latest revelation could well be the catalyst for a bid before January is out.
Given 24-year-old Delph has emerged as an England regular under Roy Hodgson this fee seems on the modest side of things, though Spurs believe they can drag it out until very late in the day.
The Lilywhites will look to play on Villa’s fears of missing out on a transfer fee as they remain unimpressed by mooted £60k per week wage demands from the player.
Meanwhile Liverpool are in the market for an all-action centre-mid of Delph’s ilk to replace LA Galaxy-bound Steven Gerrard, but it remains to be seen if Brendan Rodgers is still as keen as he was a few months ago.
The Reds are currently in the midst of a long-awaited revival, losing only one of their last 15 games, and rocking the boat by bringing in more players now may not appeal.
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