Aston Villa are reportedly unwilling to sell James Chester for less than £20 million this summer.
The Mirror reports that Villa are having to cope with financial pressure following their inability to get promoted out of the Championship via the play-offs last season, and they may have to consider selling some of their important players.
And Chester may be one of those who could be moved on with the Seagulls keen on bringing him back to the Premier League. However, Steve Bruce does not intend to make it easy for Chris Hughton to lure the Wales international away this summer.
According to the Mirror’s live transfer blog (23/06; 20:48), Villa intend to only let Chester leave the club provided that they receive a bid of £20 million – which is more than double the £9 million that they paid for him two years ago, as reported by the Daily Mail.
It would be a surprise if Villa received such a bid for Chester. He has been a superb signing for the Villans, but he turns 30 next January and boasts a modest record at Premier League level, having been relegated once and registered two bottom-half finishes in the top flight.
But it is perhaps an encouraging sign for Villa fans, given the speculation surrounding their finances, that the club are not slapping price-tags on their players which suggest that they desperately need funds coming in.
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