Transfer Talk: Villans eye Cantwell as Jack the lad nears exit

Norwich midfielder Todd Cantwell is top of Aston Villa’s list to replace Manchester City-bound Jack Grealish.

News broke yesterday evening that Villans skipper Grealish, 25, was close to completing a switch to the Etihad after City tabled a £100million bid for the England midfielder.

Reports suggest the deal could be confirmed within the next 24 hours — making Grealish the most expensive British player of all time.

Although losing their talisman would be a bitter blow, Villa have had a proactive summer and made Southampton striker Danny Ings their latest signing last night. 

Ings, 29, recently rejected a contract extension from the Saints and will now join Ashley Young, Emi Buendia and Leon Bailey as new faces in Dean Smith’s squad.

And Sky Sports believe Canaries creator Cantwell could be next to head to Villa Park, with the 23-year-old viewed as an ideal replacement for Grealish should his exit be confirmed.

Cantwell only has one year left on his current deal at Carrow Road but Norwich do have the option of extending it by a further 12 months. 

That means a sizeable fee is likely to be required to prise him away from East Anglia with less than a fortnight until the new campaign — though Villa will have money to play with.

Spurs eye attacking spark

Tottenham are turning their attention to creative reinforcements, according to The Standard.

While talks over the future of skipper Harry Kane continue amid persistent links to City, boss Nuno Espirito Santo is focusing on fresh faces.

Recent recruits Bryan Gil and Pierluigi Gollini look set to be joined by Cristian Romero in the coming days and Spurs are keen to keep the new arrivals coming. 

Sampdoria’s Mikkel Damsgaard and PSV’s Noni Madueke are thought to be on the club’s radar — though they are likely to face competition on both fronts.

Danish star Damsgaard, 21, was one of Euro 2020’s breakout stars and a Premier League move looks likely, with Aston Villa and Liverpool also keen.

Madueke, 19, is a former Spurs academy star who has enjoyed success in the Netherlands.

Crystal Palace, Leeds, Southampton and Bayern Munich have all enquired about the England Under-21 international and a bidding war could be imminent.

In other news

Chelsea have hit a stumbling block in their move for Sevilla defender Jules Kounde after Kurt Zouma refused a switch to West Ham.

The Guardian say Frenchman Zouma, 26, has told the Blues he is unwilling to move across London to join the Hammers, which has seen the club's pursuit of defensive recruits put on hold.

Thomas Tuchel is keen on highly-rated Kounde and would love to add the 22-year-old to his ranks at Stamford Bridge — though the club are unlikely to pay the £50m-plus Sevilla are currently holding out for.

The Daily Mail claim Oliver Skipp is attracting the interest of Newcastle, with the Magpies keen to take the young midfielder on loan from Tottenham.

Skipp, 20, impressed as part of Norwich's Championship-winning side last term and would prefer to play first-team football again in 2021-22 to help his development.

It seems Spurs are now more open-minded to letting him leave once again, which has alerted both Newcastle and the Canaries.