The players that Aston Villa could lose to the Premier League if they are beaten by Fulham in the play-off final.
Aston Villa are one match away from returning to the Premier League after two years in the Championship. They race Fulham in the playoff final on May 26, a side who finished five points ahead of them in third in the table.
If the Villans lose that Wembley showdown then there is likely to be interest in some of their more impressive players this season and here are the three most likely to be snapped up by top flight clubs if Villa don’t return there themselves.
James Chester
Aside from promoted duo Wolverhampton Wanderers and Cardiff City, no other team has conceded fewer than the 42 let in by Steve Bruce’s men in the second tier of English football in 2017/18.
Much of that has been credited to the signing of captain John Terry from Chelsea last summer, but Chester has arguably been more important, playing every minute of their league campaign to date.
Jack Grealish
Linked with a £20m switch to Leicester City recently by Birmingham Live, Bruce laughed off the rumours claiming that in the modern market Grealish is worth double that.
Yet the 57-year-old is probably worried about losing his star midfielder, who has finally started to realise the potential he had clearly shown previously and is now a great source of creativity.
Sam Johnstone
Not actually a Villa player, Bruce has made no secret of the fact that he would like to sign the goalkeeper from Manchester United on a permanent basis after impressing on loan over the past 18 months.
That could prove tricky if the Birmingham side are not promoted, however, with football.london reporting of West Ham United’s interest in Johnstone.
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