‘Perfect for Villa’ - Danny Murphy backs Aston Villa to sign £50m star as Wolves star addresses Man Utd links

TalkSport pundit Danny Murphy says ‘he wouldn’t be surprised’ if former West Brom midfielder Conor Gallagher left Chelsea to join Aston Villa as speculation surrounding the midfielder’s future continues to intensify.

Metro Sport reports that Unai Emery is determined to bolster his midfield options this summer and claims that the Villains have expressed their interest in signing Gallagher, who is in the final year of his Stamford Bridge contract. Gallagher has been at Chelsea since he was eight-years old and has continued to grow in prominence in West London in recent years after a string of loan spells at Charlton, Swansea, West Brom and Crystal Palace.

The midfielder captained the team for large stages of last season in the absence of Reece James and Ben Chilwell but it remains to be seen whether he is a part of Chelsea’s new plans under Enzo Maresca, who has recently succeeded Mauricio Pochettino in the dugout. Chelsea are believed to want a figure of around £50m for the 13-time England international rather than allowing him to move on for free, and Murphy claims it represents ‘good value’ for Aston Villa, who can offer the midfielder the added bonus of Champions League football next term.

Murphy explained: “I wouldn’t be surprised [if he wanted to leave]. I think he would be a brilliant signing for Aston Villa and it would be good value. I’ve been a little critical of his end product, that isn’t his strength although he can get in the box and score a goal. He was dropping in a bit deeper last season and he was absolutely terrific.

“When you look at some of the amounts being paid for players, £50m for Conor Gallagher… superb athlete, always fit, you know what you get, can play different positions.

“It’s an upgrade on what Villa have got and he would be playing Champions League football and I think the fans would love him, not that the Chelsea fans don’t, but I think for Villa it would be really good value and a statement. I think it’s a perfect player for Aston Villa.”

Gallagher is currently a part of the England squad for Euro 2024 and is pushing to be a member of Gareth Southgate’s final 26-man squad.

He picked up his 13th cap against Bosnia and Herzegovina and impressed in a 3-0 friendly victory. His next game sees England take on Iceland in the Londoners final chance to impress Southgate before his final squad selection. Gallagher has previously been involved in the World Cup in 2022 though he was an unused substitute in all five games in Qatar.

Cunha addresses exit links

After a stellar season, which saw him score 12 goals in 32 appearances, Matheus Cunha has rapidly become one of the most sought after strikers in the Premier League due to his clinical finishing and excellent creativity.

Cunha is seen as the answer to Manchester United’s problems after a poor season which saw the team finish eighth whilst scoring only 57 times - the joint lowest in the top half alongside Crystal Palace.

After missing out on Brazil’s Copa America squad, the striker is currently enjoying some time back in Brazil, where he hasn't been able to escape the transfer speculation. After he watched local side Botafogo-PB on Monday night, Cunha was quizzed on a move to United but reiterated his loyalty to Wolves.

“Whenever I can, I come along," he told Globo Esporte of his reason for being at the third division clash. "I always want to show that (the affection) is reciprocated. Then we see that talk (Manchester United). But I’m very happy at Wolves. My focus is on resting and making the most of my time with my family. I’m very happy at Wolves. The focus now is on having better seasons and helping the club.”

The 25-year-old added: “God willing, I’ll continue on this path.”