Aston Villa join other Premier League clubs in poignant Ukraine gesture

Aston Villa are "ready to accept" Ukrainian youngsters to train with the club's academy.

That's according to former Chelsea and Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko, who claims all Premier League clubs have agreed to the response.

The development comes as Russia continues its barbaric invasion of Ukraine, with the Premier League showing solidarity with the Ukrainian people over the weekend.

Villa and their Premier League colleagues are now said to have taken an extra step by agreeing to host Ukrainian children in their academies.

It is unclear whether the clubs will be hosting youngsters already in the Ukrainian academy football system, or if the agreement extends to Ukrainian children more widely.

"In the UK, all football clubs have responded to the situation in Ukraine," Shevchenko told TV channel 1+1, per The Sun.

"They are ready to accept Ukrainian children to train in the academies of Premier League clubs.

"Now a series of negotiations will be held to formalise the documents. We need to get permission.

"We'll try to get this done very quickly. I'm in touch with the football federation. Sports camps will open.

"Everything must be done so that children who leave the cities of Ukraine can train either on the territory of Western Ukraine, or it will already be on the territory of other countries."