Aston Villa pair wanted elsewhere while defender returns to full training

Aston Villa are back in action this weekend away at Crystal Palace.

Steven Gerrard’s side lost on the opening day against AFC Bournemouth and will be hoping for more luck on the road at Selhurst Park.

They make the trip down to South London in confident mood after beating Everton last time out.

Here is a look at the latest news and rumours coming out of the club....

Striker wanted elsewhere

Everton are reportedly keen on signing Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa.

The attacker made the move to Villa Park back in 2020 from Brentford and has since scored 27 goals in 78 games in all competitions to date.

According to a report by Football Insider, the Toffees are ‘interested’ in luring him away from the Midlands before the end of the transfer window.

Winger attracting interest

Bertrand Traore has emerged on the radar of Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir.

The winger has struggled to make an impact since making the move to Villa back in 2020.

The Daily Mail report he is ‘attracting interest’ from the Turkish Super Lig.

Istanbul Basaksehir signed former Arsenal ace Mesut Ozil earlier this summer.

Defender back in full training

Gerrard has confirmed that defender Kortney Hause has returned to full training.

Aston Villa have been dealt a blow with summer signing Diego Carlos suffering an Achilles injury so early on in his career in England.

However, as per the club’s official website, Hause has returned at the right time. Gerrard has said:

“We’ve still got three fully-fit centre halves that are ready to go, we’ve got Kortney Hause that’s just joined the group and is back in full training.”