James Milner tipped for Aston Villa return as Liverpool contract set to expire

Aston Villa has been named as a possible destination for Liverpool midfielder James Milner.

The 36-year-old is fondly remembered by the Villa faithful for his three seasons across two spells at Villa Park. In his final season as part of Martin O’Neill’s side, Milner scored 12 and provided 16 assists across all competitions from centre-midfield, before moving to Manchester City in 2010.

He has since gone to achieve remarkable success at both City and Liverpool, picking up three Premier League titles and a Champions League winner’s medal, as well as several other major honours. However, Milner ’s contract at Anfield is currently set to come to an end this summer.

The ex-England international joined Liverpool in 2015 and Jurgen Klopp has been vocal in his wish to keep the veteran midfielder at the club. However, former Liverpool player Jason McAteer has suggested that Milner could return to B6 this summer, if he fails to agree new terms with the Reds.

“Massively important he stays at the club in some capacity,” McAteer said during Liverpool’s cup parade on Sunday. “James is getting no younger although the numbers he’s churning out are phenomenal. I can’t see him going to a Chelsea or an Arsenal or a Manchester City. You know, maybe Aston Villa.”

Villa have been quick off the mark and already bolstered their midfield options with the arrival of highly-rated defensive midfielder Boubacar Kamara as a free agent. The Frenchman joins Philippe Coutinho and the incoming Diego Carlos, as Steven Gerrard looks to make a statement in the transfer window.

Despite having plenty of younger options within his squad, Klopp regularly relied on Milner as Liverpool looked to compete across four competitions. Milner made 39