Aston Villa should demand Marc Albrighton as part of any deal if they lose John McGinn amid reported interest

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John McGinn has become a key player in Aston Villa’s midfield after signing for the club last summer.

Aston Villa fans will be well aware of what is coming in the summer, with FFP hanging over their heads it still remains the possibility that they could potentially lose their star players if they don’t earn promotion to the Premier League.

Despite Dean Smith’s side dismantling Derby County on Saturday, another season in the Championship beckons for the Midlands club.

The Daily Record recently claimed that new Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers is targeting Villa midfielder John McGinn as one of his first summer signings.

The report details how the former Hibernian player was one of his priority targets last summer at Celtic, but he lost the battle for the 24-year-old’s signature to the Championship club.

Since McGinn moved to Villa Park, he has become a firm fan favourite with his non-stop aggressive style of play lifting supporters off their seats.

Say it quietly, but if McGinn is the only key player Dean Smith loses in the summer then most supporters may just accept that if it means keeping star man Jack Grealish.

If Villa do lose McGinn then they should ambitiously demand former academy product Marc Albrighton as part of any deal. Whether Villa can snap up the winger on loan or any other way, it would sweeten the deal from their side.

Those may point to Albrighton penning a new deal in January [Leicester City official website], but Rodgers wasn’t in charge then and since his appointment, the talk of where the club is heading for next season has changed.

Rodgers will be looking to install his forward-thinking and attack-minded philosophy into the team, with plans that youngsters and academy players will be stars of the show.

At 29-years-old, you wonder whether Albrighton will be part of Rodgers plans or whether he would prefer youngsters such as Demarai Gray or Harvey Barnes ahead of him in the pecking order.

Either way, if Albrighton does become available and Villa can potentially snap him up then he would more than definitely fit perfectly into Smith’s style of play and bring some much-needed quality out on the flanks.