Aston Villa are reportedly willing to pay £5 million for Barnsley skipper Marc Roberts – five months after they nabbed previous captain Conor Hourihane.
With Barnsley bidding farewell to Sam Winnall, Conor Hourihane, James Bree and Alfie Mawson within the last 12 months, plus facing up to the prospect of losing Marley Watkins and Josh Scowen on frees, it would be no surprise if they were to barricade the Oakwell exits over the summer.
Especially with The Sun claiming that Aston Villa are among the clubs interested in £5 million-rated centre-back Marc Roberts.
However, it appears that Villa could have their work cut out reuniting the Barnsley captain with his former Tykes team-mates Hourihane and Bree in the Midlands. Roberts, after all, is a local lad forced to make his name in the depths of non-league before putting pen to paper at Oakwell in the summer of 2015.
“What better place to come than Barnsley?” Roberts told the Barnsley Chronicle when completing his move from Halifax Town. “I have always kept an eye out for their results.”
List of demands
And, according to the Birmingham Mail, Villa face a challenge luring the 26-year-old from his home-town. The report claims that Roberts would want a guarantee of first-team football before considering a move to the Midlands.
However, under Steve Bruce, he could get exactly that. Especially if Tommy Elphick’s career at Villa Park is brought to an end after just one season this summer.
The Telegraph reported recently that Financial Fair Play restrictions will force Villa to sell before they buy this summer and Elphick, who endured an underwhelming debut season after signing from Bournemouth, is one of the players at risk of being sold to make way for new additions.
Tommy Elphick of Aston Villa
And The Sun adds that local rivals Birmingham could offer him an escape route of Villa Park after falling out of favour under Bruce.
His exit, therefore, would open up a place in the squad for Roberts to stake his claim for a first-team berth. Maybe raiding Barnsley again isn’t mission impossible after all.
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