Aston Villa and Inter Milan in race to sign £10m Jermain Jenas from Tottenham

21 July 2009 08:15
Villa manager Martin O'Neill is on the cusp of making a bid for the 26-year-old who he considers a suitable replacement for Gareth Barry, who last month signed for Manchester City. Should a deal to keep the midfielder in the Premier League go through, Jenas would be Villa's second new arrival of the summer after the club completed the signing of long-term target Stewart Downing last week. The pendulum could swing in Villa's favour if O'Neill would consider the option of a player-plus-cash deal that would see Ashley Young move to White Hart Lane. Harry Redknapp has made no secret of his admiration for the winger, but according to the Sun, it is a proposal that Villa are extremely unlikely to entertain. Downing clarified the club's stance on selling Young when asked if he thought the club would consider offers. He said: "The first thing I asked the manager was 'are these players staying? Because I'd like to play with them.' "His response was that the likes of Ashley Young will not be leaving because he is trying to build a squad." Milan meanwhile are planning to use a percentage of the £40 million they expect to receive when the sale of Zlatan Ibrahimovic goes through to land Jenas. Ibrahimovic is on the verge of a move to Barcelona, clearing the way for Jose Mourinho to open negotiations with Tottenham. And Redknapp's interest in former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira could help the Italian champions land Jenas for a reduced price.

Source: Telegraph