New £30m bid for Villa’s James Milner
Friday 21st May 2010, 11:30AM BST.
Manchester City are prepared to pay up to £30million to land James Milner – as Villa moved to bring forward contract talks with the midfielder.
City, who have already had a £20million bid rejected, have made Milner their top summer transfer target and are willing to make the England star one of the most expensive players in British transfer history.
They are believed to be preparing an improved £24million offer but, with Manchester United and Chelsea also keen, are ready to go higher still in the likely event it is knocked back.
Worryingly for Villa fans, City’s interest extends to Ashley Young too, but the mega-rich Eastlands club have made nothing more than an enquiry over his availability at this stage.
Just as with Milner, it is understood Villa told City they have no interest in selling with the claret and blues now intending to bring forward discussions over a new deal with the player to before the World Cup.
Those talks are almost certain to take place after Monday’s friendly with Mexico, when the players have a 36-hour break from duty.
Milner, who has two years remaining on his existing contract, is also believed to be eager to hear Villa’s plans both for him and strengthening this summer.
His response to questions over his future has merely fuelled speculation of his departure, after conceding he is unsure what the summer holds and is flattered to be linked with other clubs.
He said: “Do I expect to be at Villa next season? I don’t know. I’ve worked as hard as I can and concentrated on club football while the season has been on.
“Now it has finished, I’m focusing on England and that’s the only thing I am focusing on. The speculation about my own future is not distracting. There are always going to be rumours about every player in every club when the transfer window opens.
“To be linked with any clubs is flattering but I’m just concentrating on England at this time.
“I’ve enjoyed my time at Aston Villa, it’s a good club, we’ve had a lot of success this season.”
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im sorry but has the world gone mad? surely he is not worth 30 million? or even 24?
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If Lescott was worth £24 million, Milner’s got to be worth up to £40 million. And yes – the whole world went mad a couple of years ago! Surprised everyone missed it!
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agreed he’s worth 20m at most
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A Villa fan, but I have to say that £30m? let him go!
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We, City are in the process of a major overhauling and building process and are trying to build a strong squad for the here and now and for the future also. Other clubs know we have deep pockets, we know we are paying over the odds for players, but so be it if the end result improves us…
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Now we will find out if Randy Lerner really wants success!
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Of course the world hasn’t gone mad. Just football! I don’t think we should single out Milner for this stupidness. After all, he doesn’t set the fee, the club trying to buy the player does!
Look at Doyle. £15 million for a player who scored 6 goals last season? Fabregas at £60 million? Robiniho, Shevchenko, Keane, Veron and the biggest misfit of all, Lescott. All £20 million+ misfits! The list goes on!
In a normal world, a player would sit down with the Manager and the Owner and thrash out a deal. Unfortunatly, football isn’t normal. Michael Owen had 37 different representatives or agents last season, working on ways to get him a new club. That’s not counting the 16 it took to put together the infamous ‘Michael Owen Dossier’! How cheap would he have been if he didn’t have to pay that lot?
Second thoughts Dan, You’re right! The worlds gone mad!
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Just goes to prove the obscenity that is the Premier League.
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What we have here is a very potent cocktail of a moderately talented coach, a doolally Chief Executive whose knowledge of football was gleaned from watching episodes of Footballers Wives on TV and a foriegn royal family who are not used to hearing the word ‘no’!
Citeh are not going to stop until they have their man, so Villa fan’s may as well get used to it! However, I don’t want Milner to go on the cheap like Barry did. So, if I was O’Neill, I would reject every bid up to £50 million, then tear Citeh’s arm off!
Of course Milners not worth £50 million, no-one is! But like benefit cheats, if the system is there to be abused, why not abuse it and get as much money out of Citeh as possible?
So long Jimmy and thanks for the memories. NOT! UTV SOTC
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Number 7 just to let you know doyle scored 10 and is worth 15 million easy!!
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Actually it was 9 goals in 34 games but hey! And if Doyle’s worth £15 million, then Heskey’s worth £50 million and Graham Norton must be straight! We were talking mad remember!
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Milner does not need to go anywhere!!
Get rid of Heskey, Reo-Coker,Shorey and bring in Keane and Hargreaves and top four is ours!!
Mind you, if Man City want to pay over 30 million we could let him go. Just a shame its to one of our rivals for top four place!!
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not even worth 20 mil never mind 30 mil.alot better players about 4 half the price.
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Wow never realised Villa fans were so bitter, where’s this attitude coming from? I expect the Lescott and Doyle jibes from brummies and baggies but usually villa fans put the rivalry behind them. I hope its not the amibition getting to you.
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As a city supporter I love my club but we are getting ripped off money wise.
Milner is only worth £14m at the most, Lescott was only worth the same.
The greed of the selling club’s is bottomless!
People inside football say City are going to ruin football.
I say it’s the greedy that will do that, after all there is only One City, but loads of greedy clubs.
Strength in numbers me thinks.
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