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Chelsea veteran Gary Cahill is set to snub a return to childhood club Aston Villa as he wants to remain in the Premier League, The Sun reports.

What's the word?

Maurizio Sarri has made an instant impression at Chelsea, leading the Blues to five wins in their opening six games, and his upheaval of the squad in January is likely to lead to a number of exits from Stamford Bridge.

Amongst those likely to seal a departure is veteran defender Gary Cahill, who The Sun says will ask for a transfer in January if his opportunities in the first-team do not improve - which is likely to spark a frenzy on the transfer market.

However, Aston Villa are likely to be spurned in their advances to bring Cahill back to Villa Park with Sheffield Wednesday also looking set for disappointment as it is stated the 32-year-old is keen to remain in the Premier League.

With just one clean sheet so far this season, Aston Villa's defence is crying out for reinforcements after the club failed to fill the void left by John Terry's departure in the summer - and their leaky backline threatens to derail their promotion charge.

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That makes the Cahill situation even more frustrating as he may have considered a move to Villa if they were leading the way in the Championship and looked odds-on for a return to the Premier League, as it would mean just a few months without top-flight football for the experienced defender.

Instead, the England international looks certain to stay in the top flight at least until the end of the season if he does depart Stamford Bridge, with Villa's only hope that they can try and sign him in the summer after they have hopefully secured a Premier League return.