Aston Villa have told £30m star Klopp called ‘unbelievable’ he can leave

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Aston Villa have now told Danny Ings that he can leave in the January transfer window if a club catches his interest. The Villans are going all-out to back new boss Unai Emery’s plans.

That is according to talkSPORT, which reports Aston Villa are open to offers for Ings so that Emery can reinvest the funds in a forward of his own choosing. Dean Smith was behind the £25m, rising up to £30m, move that took the 30-year-old to the Birmingham outfit in 2021.

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Steven Gerrard has since come and gone at the helm and Ings finds himself playing second fiddle to Ollie Watkins. The three-cap England international has only started one of his four Premier League appearances under Emery and played 12 minutes over his past two games.

Emery benched Ings for Aston Villa’s return to Premier League action following the World Cup. Even though the Winchester-born forward had scored twice to beat Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 before Qatar 2022. The Seagulls represent Ings’ only league start under Emery.

So, Aston Villa will now let Ings decide his own future in the January transfer window. The forward is free to leave Villa Park if he wishes and providing a club presents a suitable bid. While a return to Southampton could yet emerge only 17 months after he quit St Mary’s.

Aston Villa could let Ings return to Southampton in the January transfer window

Southampton are open to re-signing Ings in the January transfer window if the striker will leave Aston Villa for them. He could also return to AFC Bournemouth as the Cherries look to attack the market following Bill Foley’s recent £150m takeover of the south coast club.

Ings started his career with the Cherries after joining their academy in 2006 before making 30 first-team appearances. A move to Burnley followed in 2011 before he joined Liverpool in 2015. Southampton then hired Ings on loan in 2018 before making it permanent in 2019.

Jurgen Klopp gave Ings 17 of his 25 outings for Liverpool after replacing Brendan Rodgers at the helm in October 2015. He has also continued to praise the attacker since having said after beating Aston Villa in May 2022 that Ings was ‘unbelievable’ after the Reds won 2-1.