Championship promotion hopefuls Aston Villa obviously want to sign Sam Johnstone from Premier League giants Manchester United.
Aston Villa fans would have already known that promotion to the Premier League was needed if Sam Johnstone is to make his loan move from Manchester United permanent at the end of this season.
The goalkeeper has shone since joining Villa in January 2017 and manager Steve Bruce has made no secret about his desire to keep Johnstone, who has never made a first-team appearance in over a decade on Manchester United’s books.
But The Sun reported that Jose Mourinho’s side want £6.5 million for the 24-year-old. An Aston Villa side under pressure from Financial Fair Play simply could not afford that fee if they stay in the Championship.
And, to put further pressure on Villa’s promotion challenge, the Birmingham Mail states that Johnstone has no interest in spending another season in the second tier of English football.
He has had spells in the Championship at Yeovil Town, Doncaster Rovers, Preston North End and now Aston Villa but has never played in the Premier League side and, understandably, is determined to do so sooner rather than later.
The report adds that there is indeed top flight interest in Johnstone, who has been linked with Everton, Watford, West Brom and more this season, so Villa will know that a failure to finish in the top two or navigate the play-offs could be fatal to their hopes of keeping hold of this talented young goalkeeper.
After successive defeats to QPR and Bolton, Villa must step up their game if Johnstone is to stay next season.
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