Championship giants Aston Villa have been tipped to re-sign Gareth Barry if they’re promoted to the Premier League – while Milner is starring for Liverpool.
One former Aston Villa midfielder could be wearing claret and blue once again next season – but not the one the fans are dreaming of.
According to The Mirror (live transfer blog, 3.58pm), Aston Villa are keen to re-sign Gareth Barry this summer eight years after he left the club in controversial circumstances to join Manchester City, a move many fans claimed was motivated by money.
Barry has a clause in his contract allowing him to leave West Brom when their relegation is confirmed, but a prospective return to Villa has not gone down too well with supporters.
The former England international is 37 these days after all. And, anyway, there is another former Villa Park that fans would love to see the club bring back this summer.
The prospect of James Milner leaving Liverpool, however, looks fairly slim right now. After spending all of last season as an emergency left-back, the 32-year-old has been reborn in the centre of midfield of late, playing a major part in Liverpool’s stunning run to the Champions League final.
He’s even set up nine goals on route to Kiev – the most of any player in a single Champions League season. But is a return to Aston Villa even a possibility? The immediate reaction is to suggest not.
Then again, he has just one year left on his contract and has started less than half of his Premier League appearances this season. Plus, if Villa are promoted back to the Premier League, owner Tony Xia will be free to spend without worrying so much about Financial Fair Play.
At the moment, however, this is just a pipe dream.
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