Aston Villa star ‘holds talks’ over January exit, Ex-Villa boss makes ‘huge’ Gerrard claim

Aston Villa will not be in action in the Premier League this weekend.

The Villans’ top-flight clash with struggling Leicester City on Saturday afternoon has been postponed as a mark of respect in the aftermath of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Villa’s last outing came in a 1-1 draw against Manchester City seven days ago.

As things stand, there is currently no indication on whether or not Friday’s fixture against Southampton will go ahead as initially planned.

But while there is no action to discuss on the pitch, there is still plenty going on in the gossip columns.

With that in mind, here is Saturday’s Villa-related transfer roundup...

Luiz wants Villa move

Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz has told friends that he is keen to join Arsenal, and would still like the deal to happen, according to Football Insider.

The Gunners failed with a £25 million bid to sign the Brazilian in the late stages of the transfer window, with Villa holding firm on their £30 million valuation.

Arsenal are still understood to be working on a deal, however, and have “maintained a dialogue” with Luiz’s representatives in the hope of striking a January agreement.

For his part, the 24-year-old is said to be receptive to a potential transfer

McLeish hails City draw

Former Villa boss Alex McLeish has claimed that last weekend’s 1-1 draw against Aston Villa represented a “huge” result for Steven Gerrard.

The Villans came from behind to rescue a point against the champions, ending a three-game losing streak in the process.

And while his former side still lie 17th in the table, McLeish is of the opinion that the spirited display will have gone a substantial way towards easing any mounting pressure on Gerrard.

Speaking to Football Insider, he said: “That is a huge result for Stevie and his coaching staff.

“They will have been pulling their hair out through the whole week, thinking about how they are going to stop this machine called Manchester City.

“When you see the performance they gave, the whole team, there was a fair bit of work done by everyone.

“The criticism was everywhere after their start to the season and people were even suggesting Gerrard could go.

“That was incredible considering the way City were going. Nobody would have bet against Man City winning that game.

“Some players will go to another level of self-belief and it gives them so much going into that next game.

“That next game is hugely important for them, they need to start putting more than one point on the board.”