City close in on Milner

[10.Goater_Legend]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010 ... r-city-bid

Manchester City close in on Aston Villa's James Milner• City move ahead of United in battle to sign midfielder
• Champions League football and £24m fee may seal deal
Tweet this (10)Stuart James guardian.co.uk, Monday 19 April 2010 23.05 BST Article history
James Milner's future at Aston Villa may be dependent on Martin O'Neill's as Manchester City prepare a summer bid. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA

Aston Villa face a major battle to keep hold of James Milner after Manchester City identified the midfielder as one of their summer transfer targets.

The England international has been in outstanding form this season, prompting Martin O'Neill to admit last week that he anticipates interest in Milner from leading clubs at home and abroad. There has been speculation that Manchester United are monitoring Milner's position but City's interest is known to be stronger and promises to pose a major threat to any hopes their neighbours might have of signing the former Leeds United trainee.

City's Abu Dhabi owners will sanction another lavish spending spree before the start of next season as part of their plans to become a major force in world football and that process will be largely overseen by Brian Marwood, the club's football administrator. Marwood has long admired Milner's qualities as a footballer and also knows the player well from his previous employment as head of UK operations for Nike, which sponsors the 24-year-old.

Villa would be likely to demand double the £12m they paid Newcastle United for Milner two years ago and the player could also expect to double his £45,000-a-week wages at Eastlands. Financing a deal will present no problem for the world's richest club but much may depend on whether City seize the final Champions League qualification spot and how events unfold at Villa Park during the summer.

Milner has two years remaining on his contract and, although Villa have signalled their intention to extend that deal and offer improved terms, no talks are scheduled. O'Neill said last month that he was keen to ensure there are no distractions for Milner and suggested that the two parties might not sit down to discuss a new contract until after the World Cup.

Since making those comments, however, O'Neill's long-term future has become uncertain and it may well be that Milner's next move is dependent on the decision the Villa manager makes on his own position in the summer.

Milner is known to feel a debt of gratitude to Villa and in particular to O'Neill, whose desire to sign Milner led to the club paying Newcastle what many felt at the time was an inflated fee, and his decision this season to move him from wide right to central midfield has proved a masterstroke.

Both those factors are likely to weigh heavily on Milner's mind should O'Neill opt to stay at Villa Park for a fifth season. There is, however, also an acceptance that Champions League football would be hard for him to resist at a time when Villa appear to have hit a glass ceiling. O'Neill said this month that "for James to continue to improve we will need to improve the standard of our player", yet there have been suggestions that the club's owner, Randy Lerner, will tighten rather than loosen the purse strings this summer.

O'Neill suggested that, if that were the case, one potential way to deal with it would be through "maybe taking a risk with a major player to be transferred [out] to sort things out". He would, however, be extremely reluctant to lose Milner. Fabio Capello described him as England's most improved player this season and his impressive performances were recognised last week when he was shortlisted for the Professional Footballers' Association young player of the year award.

Those performances have also caught Sir Alex Ferguson's eye, although the United manager is expected to have other priorities in the summer, including a new striker, before he turns his attention to strengthening an ageing midfield.

It would rankle with Villa supporters if another key player was sold to City in the wake of Gareth Barry's transfer last year, although the circumstances are different. Whereas Barry had been agitating for a transfer for 12 months and was happy to join a club that had failed to qualify for Europe, Milner has never rocked the boat at Villa and is unlikely to move unless Champions League football were on offer.

[Lee_Kinda]

24M is alot, but what a player! could be just what we need, we never know until he comes though.

Although my second thought would be, is he "attacking" enough though? He can tend to lie deep a lot.

[10.Goater_Legend]

24M is alot, but what a player! could be just what we need, we never know until he comes though.

Although my second thought would be, is he "attacking" enough though? He can tend to lie deep a lot.

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[Mark (Blue Army)]

Good player but not for £24mill

[The Man In Blue]

yeah yeah we all know he can play, but can he make rousing statements to the OS after we lose?

[10.Goater_Legend]

Good player but not for £24mill

Swap deal with SWP going there me thinks

[Mark (Blue Army)]

Good player but not for £24mill

Swap deal with SWP going there me thinks

Deal!!!!!!!!

[BobbyJ1956]

If Milner comes will Stevie Ireland be sold? I so much want him to come good again for City. His play last year was a delight but he's been mucked about and not got over injuries this season. In all the years I've watched City the players who've given me most pleasure are the ones who could play those deft little flicks and touches, putting people in on goal and scoring a fair few themselves: Bobby Johnstone, Colin Bell, Ali Benarbia, Elano - Ireland's in that kind of company. He's a maverick, too, a bit of an odd-ball, and he's home-grown via the Academy, like him for both things. Wasn't sorry when Richard Dunne left and could get over SWP going, but I'd like Ireland to stay for years.

[john68]

Sadly or otherwise Bobby, the time for sentiment has passed. We are aiming at the sharp end of World football where the modern game is cutthroat. Either players do the job or they fall by the wayside. Stevie ireland is all you say he is but he hasn't been consitantly good enough for us this season. Whatever the reasons for that. Sadly like you, I am an old sentimentalist but i think we'll see Stevie disappear this summer.

[btajim]

Milner is a good player - but Villa are having a laugh at that price. I think I'd be underwhelmed at £10 Million, TBH. And Villa will hate us even more if we take him after we got Barry!

I'd sniff Joe Cole out at Chelsea if he doesn't sign a new deal there.

[Ted Hughes]

Sadly or otherwise Bobby, the time for sentiment has passed. We are aiming at the sharp end of World football where the modern game is cutthroat. Either players do the job or they fall by the wayside. Stevie ireland is all you say he is but he hasn't been consitantly good enough for us this season. Whatever the reasons for that. Sadly like you, I am an old sentimentalist but i think we'll see Stevie disappear this summer.

I agree but I suppose there's a chance they may take one last look at him pre season, to see if he's been back in the phone booth & changed out of his Clark Kent disguise.

Also, if the manager was changed (again!) a new one may want to have a closer look at him.

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

Milner is having a smashing season but I have question marks whether he will keep his form going over sustained period of time. He is extremely one dimensional as a player.

I'd rather see another season whether it was just one off or has he really improved so dramatically before splashing out £24m. Besides I'm always vary signing players overachieving under O'Neill. He is a great manager in getting the very best out of players he has got.

[guv111]

I can't say this fills me with much enthusiasm. Milner has had a good season, but he's in his mid-twenties and who can say that they were interested in him before? Stephen Ireland had one really good season, but is he worth £24m? No. Personally, I think Milner is overrated, and that he's liable to be very, very bad indeed when not at the top of his form - a bit like Steven Gerrard, whom he is quite similar to. Do we want another player who disappears for entire games? If we are going to spend that kind of money, let's get players who have Champions' League experience and have shone consistently for club and country over a number of years, not eight months.

[coMs]

I can't say this fills me with much enthusiasm. Milner has had a good season, but he's in his mid-twenties and who can say that they were interested in him before? Stephen Ireland had one really good season, but is he worth £24m? No. Personally, I think Milner is overrated, and that he's liable to be very, very bad indeed when not at the top of his form - a bit like Steven Gerrard, whom he is quite similar to. Do we want another player who disappears for entire games? If we are going to spend that kind of money, let's get players who have Champions' League experience and have shone consistently for club and country over a number of years, not eight months.

so to conclude, do we want a young Steven Gerrard ?

YES PLEASE.

[john@staustell]

He´s good but seems to me one of those ´media over-rated´players. Some games completely pass him by, yet the media often judges only by the outstanding forward contributions and forgets about the other 75% of a player´s game. Forgets completely about games in which he doesn´t stand out.

Be surprised if he´s Bobby´s target tbh.

I like a midfield player you know will always go out and dominate a match, people like Gerard in his hayday, Souness etc in the past. Colin Bell at his peak.

[walmai]

Pretty soon, your team will travel to matches in two buses.

One for the multitude of midfielders on your books and one for all the rest of them.

Milner would make a very good purchase.

[avoidconfusion]

He is a great player imho but not worth 24m. Maybe 15m yes.

[ant london]

Very good footballer
Bright lad
A team player
Committed, energy, desire

the price is irrelevant, I'd take him at City any day

I'd be livid if I were a Villa fan and this were sanctioned however

[Vhero]

Very good footballer
Bright lad
A team player
Committed, energy, desire

the price is irrelevant, I'd take him at City any day

I'd be livid if I were a Villa fan and this were sanctioned however

This.. But ONLY if we cannot get better.. Another plus point is we would be weakening one of our rivals too.. A swap for SWP like somebody said would be good and maybe a bit of cash too.

[Dubciteh]

rather have arteta for that money, im not a milner fan to be honest and as NDQP pointed out o Neill has great knack of making average players look like world beaters so id very wary...