After dominating the headlines for much of the summer, Aston Villa are now reportedly leading the race to seal their biggest arrival yet in the form of a Premier League winner.
Aston Villa transfer news
The Villans have put their Champions League status to good use this summer, welcoming the likes of Amadou Onana and Ian Maatsen alongside players who will add plenty of depth in Jaden Philogene and Ross Barkley. Those in the Midlands followed up their transfer window spending with an opening-day win over West Ham United to ensure that Unai Emery's side picked up where they left off last time out.
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However, with less than one week left until the transfer deadline, they may not be done stealing the headlines on the incoming front. Recent reports have linked Villa with moves for the likes of Joe Gomez, who was left out of Liverpool's squad against Ipswich Town as he considers his Anfield future towards the end of the window.
Premier League winners seem to be the theme of the week too, with those in the Midlands seemingly setting their sights on a former Manchester City winger.
According to Alex Crook of talkSPORT, Aston Villa are now leading the race to sign Raheem Sterling, who has been cast aside at Chelsea following the arrival of new manager Enzo Maresca.
Crook told talkSPORT (via The Boot Room): "At the moment, they [Aston Villa] seem to be the clearest contenders if Raheem Sterling is to stay in the Premier League.
"My understanding is that Villa have held exploratory talks with Chelsea, but no direct talks with Sterling as yet. I think he has accepted what Maresca told him last Friday – the bombshell news that he wouldn’t be part of his plans. Sterling is now ready to leave Stamford Bridge and would ideally want to leave on a permanent transfer as opposed to a loan."
"Incredible" Sterling would complete Emery's attack
After losing Moussa Diaby earlier in the window, Emery could certainly do with another winger – and one more experienced than Philogene to step up in place of the Frenchman, which is where Sterling could come in.
Of course, his reported £325k-a-week salary may prove to be an obstacle in negotiations, but if Villa can find a way to convince the England international to take a pay cut, they could secure quite the deal.
A Premier League veteran these days, Sterling has picked up plenty of praise on his way to this stage, including from England boss Gareth Southgate who told BBC Sport during Euro 2020: "He is a fighter. He has got an incredible resilience and hunger. He has developed over the last couple of years this real hunger to score."
Now, it's Emery and Villa who could benefit from those qualities in pursuit of a player who would steal the headlines in the Midlands one last time. As they venture into the Champions League this season too, signing Sterling – an experienced player on that stage – could help cause plenty of upsets among Europe's best.
