Steve Bruce vows to secure future of Aston Villa starlet Keinan Davis
Steve Bruce has vowed Villa will 'do their utmost' to secure the future of Keinan Davis with the club and teenage star still locked in talks over a new contract.
Villa want to reward Davis following his breakthrough this season and warn off potential suitors, with Bournemouth, Huddersfield and Albion reported to be among several Premier League clubs tracking the 19-year-old.
But they are yet to reach an agreement over the salary Villa are prepared to offer a player who signed his most recent deal less than a year ago.
Asked about the progress of talks on Friday, boss Bruce said: “We will do our best, our utmost to try and tie him down.
“The one thing we want to do is tie down our young players. They are the lifeblood of the club. The ones who have come through the academy, we want them here.”
Rushian Hepburn-Murphy and Callum O’Hare are among several Villa academy starlets to have agreed new, extended deals this year.
Yet it is Davis, who joined two years ago from non-league Biggleswade Town’s youth team, who has made by far the biggest impact in the first-team.
The former Stevenage academy player has made 12 appearances in the Championship and been a key factor in Villa’s steady climb up the table.
Davis, who is thought to be on wages of only £2,000-a-week, was described this week as a 'nightmare' by Villa skipper John Terry following an impressive performance in Wednesday’s 2-0 win at Preston.
Despite his representatives turning down a number of fresh contract offers, Villa remain hopeful of eventually getting a deal done.
