Transfer News: Aston Villa enter the race for Manchester United star Jesse Lingard
According to Manchester Evening News (h/t Birmingham Mail), Aston Villa have entered the race to land Manchester United star Jesse Lingard in the ongoing January transfer window.
The Midlands outfit hired Steven Gerrard as their manager in the midst of the season and it has seen them turn a corner as far as results are concerned. The Villans have left the relegation zone behind them and are now within touching distance of breaking into the top ten.
Villa continue to show ambition and have been busy in the January transfer market. They brought in Philippe Coutinho on loan while also landing Lucas Digne, Callum Chambers and Robin Olsen to bolster the first team. They look far from done and are now keeping tabs on Lingard.
The Manchester United star is currently in the final few months of his contract at Old Trafford and could leave on a free next summer. He has struggled to receive regular playtime this season and it appears likely that his time at the Theatre of Dreams is coming to a close.
The Englishman is not short of suitors with the likes of Newcastle United, West Ham United and Leicester City also interested. Villa, however, appear to be the new team on the block and are keen to build their profile under Gerrard. Adding Lingard to their roster could hand the Liverpool legend a much-needed boost to his attack.
A good move
The 29-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at West Ham. He put in a real show in London and helped the Hammers qualify for Europe. A difficult player to mark when in full flow, Lingard has the traits to become a key player for Villa.
His time with the Hammers did little to boost his chances of playing regularly for Man United. With the World Cup set to be held later this year, it is imperative that he experiences regular playtime to boost his chances of making the England squad.
Whether this will see him push for a move this January remains to be seen. With just days left before the window shuts, the player is facing a race against time to land a move.
More Manchester United News
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Man United do not appear to be averse to letting Lingard leave. They were ready to send the player to Newcastle if the Toons coughed up around £15million for his services. Whether they will demand a lower fee from Villa or will stand their ground remains to be seen.
As witnessed under both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick, Lingard clearly has no role to play in our starting XI on a regular basis. It would be wise on our part to not be completely averse to the player’s best interests- one who has spent such a long time with us-, even if it means sacrificing financially to some extent.
