Aston Villa land relegated EFL prospect as Wolves face competition for Sheffield United ace

Aston Villa finished in the top four last season and have Champions League football to look forward to. Unai Emery has done an impressive job since taking over at Villa Park.

Wolves ended last term in 14th and have the chance to bring in some more players over the next couple of months. Here is a look at some of the latest transfer news and rumours regarding the Midlands pair...

Aston Villa land youngster

Aston Villa have completed the signing of Leon Routh from Luton Town. They have announced the deal on their official club website.

The centre-back, who is 16-years-old, will initially link up with the Under-18’s, with a view to breaking into the first-team down the line. Academy Manager Mark Harrison has said: "We are delighted Leon has joined us, we believe he has lots of potential and look forward to seeing how he develops over the next few years."

The fact Villa have swooped for the youngster shows they are keeping one eye on the future and they will hope he can boost his development in their academy ranks. He has left behind a Luton side who were relegated from the top flight in the last campaign after they finished in the bottom three along with Burnley and Sheffield United.

Wolves target latest

Wolves may need to see off competition from Galatasaray if they are to sign Gus Hamer from Sheffield United in this window. According to a report by GS Gazette, the Turkish Super Lig giants are keen on luring him over to Turkey in an ambitious transfer.

Gary O’Neil’s side have been linked with a swoop for the midfielder, as covered by The Star, but it remains to be seen whether they lodge an official offer. His future at Bramall Lane is up in air after the Blades slipped back into the second tier.

Hamer, who is 27-years-old, moved over to England in 2020 after spells at Feyenoord, FC Dordrecht and PEC Zwolle and spent three years at Coventry City. He was a key player for the Sky Blues and fired 19 goals in 132 games in all competitions, helping them get to the play-off final last year.

Sheffield United then handed him a chance in the Premier League and he played 38 matches for the South Yorkshire outfit last season, finding the net on five occasions. O’Neil could see him as someone to bolster his midfield options.

Pre-season latest

Wolves are heading to America for pre-season as they ramp up preparations for 2024/25. Attacker Matheus Cunha has told the club website: “We have a lot of good things to do there. We’re going for pre-season, so it will be training, and we need to manage it in a perfect way.

“I went to Florida before with my family and visited Disney. I’ll love being there, to remember being a kid, but now it will be a different experience. I hope we’ll train very well there and play the games – I hope we can show people our quality.”