Aston Villa are looking to respond after a tough season in the Championship, where they had to watch Newcastle bounce back up at the first attempt while they settled for a discouraging 13th place.
But there are signs that the club are looking to turn things around. With Steve Round working alongside Steve Bruce to improve the club from the ground up, a few key additions could be what is needed to see them perform like a club their size should.
Having already signed Conor Hourihane, Scott Hogan, and Birkir Bjarnason in January of last season, there is a clear desire to add quality to the squad and that is expected to continue this summer.
The first name on their list, seemingly, is Republic of Ireland international Glenn Whelan. Sky Sports are reporting that Villa have had a bid of £500,000 rejected, but discussions are ongoing.
Stoke City have rejected a bid in the region of £500,000 from Aston Villa for midfielder Glenn Whelan, according to Sky sources.
The Republic of Ireland international joined the Potters in 2008 and has gone on to make over 300 appearances for the club.
300+ appearances in the Premier League is no mean feat and while he's always had his detractors, the fact is Stoke City signed a lot of midfielders with the purpose of dislodging Whelan, yet he remained a constant as the club became a staple of the top tier of English football.
Glenn Whelan would add bags of experience to Villa, so it will be interesting to see if a fee can be agreed, and then if Whelan can be tempted to drop down a division.
Darren Fletcher's arrival at Stoke seems that it's finally time for him to move on, but it remains to be seen whether a different Premier League club comes in for him.
[via Sky Sports]
