Aston Villa urged to give £40m man new deal to fend off transfer interest

Former Aston Villa right-back and fan favourite Alan Hutton has backed Matty Cash to sign a new deal at the club, as links to Atletico Madrid intensify ahead of the summer transfer window.

Cash, 24, is reportedly top of the list of right-backs for the Spanish giants, who lost Kieran Trippier to Newcastle United in January and have had to utilise midfielder Marcos Llorente in the role since then. Atletico are said to be huge fans of Cash's talents at right-back and would be willing to part with between £30-40 million for the former Nottingham Forest man.

Hutton, who made a total of 201 appearances for Villa, has backed Cash to remain at the club despite these rumours, due to the impact Steven Gerrard is having on the player.

Speaking to Football Insider on the rumours, Hutton stated this: “I’ve been so impressed with him since he came to the club. He’s actually still getting better as time goes on. He’s not played at right-back for a long time, it’s still relatively new to him.

“He’s aggressive, he likes to tackle and work hard – and he’s now scoring goals as well as adding assists to his game.

“That has come as a direct result of playing under Steven Gerrard with how he likes his wing-backs to play.

“So it doesn’t surprise me, he ticks all the boxes for a Diego Simeone player when you look at the way he plays.

“Hopefully Gerrard can show his plan going forward and Cash will sign a new deal.”

Cash has hit stellar form in recent weeks under Gerrard, which has led to his talents not only being recognised across Europe but also within the Premier League, as he was nominated for the Player of the Month award in March. With two goals and two assists in his last five appearances, it is clear to see why a team of