Aston Villa should revive their interest in Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard this summer after suffering a major setback in their pursuit of Emile Smith Rowe.
What's the story?
The Midlands oufit were linked with a move for Lingard back in April after a run of scintillating form, but they opted to bid for Smith Rowe instead.
However, after seeing separate offers of £25m and £30m turned down by Arsenal, Mikel Arteta has confirmed that the youngster is not for sale, leaving Villa back at square one.
Imagine him and Grealish
Lingard was one of the surprise packages of last season, enjoying a fabulous run of form in the second half of the campaign after joining West Ham United on a short-term loan deal.
After arriving at the London Stadium in January, the 28-year-old bagged nine goals and laid on five assists in just 16 Premier League appearances.
His impressive performances earned several plaudits, with talkSPORT host Adrian Durham labeling the England international as “phenomenal, absolutely phenomenal" following a brace against Leicester City.
Like Lingard, Villa made great strides in 2020/21, ending the season in 11th position and dramatically improving on their 17th-placed finish in the previous campaign.
The club's ambitious owners have wasted no time in bolstering Dean Smith's ranks this summer, bringing in former Norwich City forward Emi Buendia in a £33m deal, and director of football Johan Lange could seal a dream duo at Villa Park by recruiting Lingard as his next acquisition to partner captain Jack Grealish in midfield.
Chelsea loanee Ross Barkley got off to a fast start in the 2020/21 campaign, contributing to three goals in his first six outings for Villa, before a serious hamstring injury halted his progress.
Barkley's drop-off in form didn't affect Grealish, however, with the talismanic figure going on to enjoy the finest season of his career to date, earning himself a place in England's squad for Euro 2020.
Pairing Lingard with Grealish would be enough to strike fear into any Premier League defence, and Smith should be urging Lange to get this deal over the line.
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