Aston Villa should step up their interest in Crystal Palace midfielder James McArthur due to the situations regarding Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Glenn Whelan.
A recent report in The Sun suggested that Aston Villa’s hopes of landing Glenn Whelan had been dealt a blow with the Stoke City midfielder preferring to stay in the Premier League this summer as Burnley join the chase.
Those circumstances would certainly suggest that Steve Bruce is fighting an uphill battle trying to land the 33-year-old, so perhaps a deal that Crystal Palace appear to be closing in on should be of interest to the Championship side.
Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce
According to the Telegraph, Chelsea starlet Ruben Loftus-Cheek is on the verge of moving to Selhurst Park on a season-long loan – which may leave James McArthur perhaps wondering where he features in Frank De Boer’s pecking order.
The Daily Mail recently suggested that there was a chance that the 29-year-old would be deemed surplus to requirements by De Boer, and Loftus-Cheek’s arrival surely leaves an even bigger question mark lingering over McArthur’s future.
The Mail reported that Villa were one of the sides monitoring the former Wigan man’s situation – interestingly, along with their rivals for Whelan’s signature, Burnley – and the Villans had made an enquiry for the midfielder.
With Whelan seemingly keen on staying in the top flight, it would appear that, as things stand, signing McArthur could potentially be a more realistic target for Bruce, and thus, he should now consider stepping up their interest in the hope that Loftus-Cheek’s seemingly-imminent arrival at Palace leaves the path clear for the FA Cup winner to move on.
Crystal Palace’s James McArthur in action with another Villa target Stoke City’s Glenn Whelan
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