Steve Bruce: Aston Villa may miss out on John Terry
Steve Bruce has conceded Villa may miss out on re-signing John Terry because they cannot match his salary from last season.
The boss has admitted he would bring the former skipper back to Villa Park “in a heartbeat” if a deal could be agreed.
But the club’s ongoing concerns over Financial Fair Play mean they can only offer the 37-year-old substantially less than the £60,000-a-week he received last term.
Terry remains a free agent after rejecting a lucrative £1.8million-a-year deal with Spartak Moscow earlier this week.
Bruce said: “If all was right and we could afford John we would have him back in a heartbeat.
“Then again, so would 24 managers in the Championship. The most important thing is what John wants to do next and the only way we can leave it.”
Terry made 36 appearances for Villa last season but their failure to reach the Premier League meant Bruce could not afford to offer him another deal.
Villa then spent most of the summer battling a cash crisis before the arrival of new owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens.
Even with their backing, the club still has FFP concerns to negotiate.
Bruce explained: “We are not in a position to offer him the level of salary we could last year.
“Last year we had parachute payments and things like that. I don’t think it is all down to money. It is all down to what John requires.
“But certainly we could not compete with the Russians, from what I saw.”
