Aston Villa are preparing to return to the Champions League next season after a fantastic campaign, but they are now being looked at by several clubs as potential options for their squad to be picked apart.

The Villans finished fourth in the Premier League and won the ] to claim their spot in Europe’s top competition next season, and are keen to strengthen their squad in the upcoming transfer window to ensure they are capable of maintaining their level of performance to compete at all levels.

But a number of clubs across Europe are aware that their financial situation is not the most secure, and some of their top stars are now being looked at for a potential transfer.

Juventus Want to Sign £230,000-a-Week Aston Villa Star

According to Sky Sports journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, one player being looked at for a potential transfer away is goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

Martinez was expected to depart the club last summer, with Manchester United heavily linked, but a move never materialised and he stayed, making 44 appearances in all competitions as he retained his number one shirt under Unai Emery.

But with the season now complete, it’s understood that he could be on the move away from Villa Park and 36-time Serie A champions Juventus are considering making a move for the Argentina international.

Di Marzio reports that the 33-year-old could cost as little as €5m (£4.3m) in a transfer fee, despite being contracted until 2028. That’s because it’s reported that he currently earns around £230,000-a-week, and they are keen to get those wages off their books.

Juventus are eyeing a number of options for their goalkeeper position having missed out on Champions League football for next season, and Martinez is someone they are keeping a close eye on.

Aston Villa Can Get a Much Higher Fee

While Aston Villa may be in a position where they need to sell players, they don’t need to get fleeced for their top stars.

Martinez isn’t the player he was a few years ago, and his performances have shown that. The club know it too, having looked closely at the transfer market for this summer for potential replacements, and the suggestion is, once again, that they are open to allowing him to move on this summer.

But a fee of less than £5m, despite his big wages, would be disrespectful, and there is no way that the board should even think about considering such a low fee. They could easily get four times that amount from someone, and without a replacement already through the door ready to play in the Champions League, there is no rush to sell to the first bidder.

Fans have been left stunned by the prices being charged for drinks during England’s first 2026 World Cup warm-up match against New Zealand on Saturday.

England secured a narrow 1-0 win at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, one of the leading 2026 Ballon d’Or award contenders, scored the only goal of the game with a header shortly before full-time.

No further goals were scored as England struggled to produce their best football in testing temperatures while performing on a controversial pitch described as “very difficult to play on” by the manager.

Tuchel Reacts to England’s Performance

Thomas Tuchel, who changed his entire starting line-up for the second half, told reporters after the final whistle, per ESPN: “I’m OK with it. I’m not super happy about it. I liked the second half more than the first half. I think we had more bite in the second half, were more aggressive on and off the ball, created a bit more. Some good half-chances and some good penetrations into the box.

“We played more from our positions and that’s why we played with more speed. The first half we were out of positions and it was a bit too much freestyle. That slowed our game down and made it difficult for counter-press because we were not in the positions we wanted to be when we started attacking.

“So that’s basically the story of the match. We were taking crosses, a lot of long-range shots which is normally not our style of play. We played a lot of long balls, a lot of long passes. That was not part of training in the past four days. It was a bit of a mix of everything. That’s why the first half looked as it looked.

“To put it in context, a lot of our players played the last time together in November. So, it is half a year ago. We have [just] four training sessions together and we mixed the team up completely so we never played before in these combinations to give everyone 45 minutes. And then you have the conditions, the pitch, it can look like this.”

‘Shameful’ Drinks Prices Horrify Fans

England fans who forked out big money to watch the Three Lions struggle against New Zealand in hot temperatures were also forced to pay eye-watering prices for drinks at the stadium.

The Daily Mail’s chief sports reporter Mike Keegan posted a screenshot of the drinks menu, showing ‘premium beer’ being charged at a whopping $18 (£13.44), while a ‘domestic beer’ still set supporters back a cool $16.75 (£12.50).

Fans wanting a different alcoholic beverage to a beer had the option of paying $26.50 (almost £20) for an ‘ultra premium double cocktail’ comprised of tequila, vodka, rum and whiskey.

Supporters looking to stay hydrated had the option of paying $8.75 (£6.53) for a one-litre water.

Simon Peace, the Press Association’s chief football writer, showed a screenshot of the same prices being charged inside the stadium. However, it turns out all listed drinks prices exclude applicable taxes, meaning every beverage comes with an additional cost.

Fans on social media have expressed their outrage at the exorbitant prices being charged.

One supporter wrote on X (Twitter): “That’s scandalous, it’s dearer than Disney,” while another said: “Insane prices. I personally wouldn’t pay it. It’s the only way we drive down the p*** taking pricing.”

A third fan commented: “Absolutely disgusting,” while a fourth added: “That’s shameful.” A fifth supporter posted:

Meanwhile, football writer Simon Mullock pointed out: “It was cheaper to get a drink in Qatar.”

England play their final World Cup warm-up match against Costa Rica on Wednesday before taking on Croatia seven days later in their first Group L fixture of this summer’s showpiece international tournament.

Tottenham continue to be linked with all and sundry in the summer transfer window as Roberto De Zerbi looks to improve the squad he inherited from Igor Tudor at the end of March.

De Zerbi managed to save the club from relegation to the Championship with a 1-0 win over Everton on the final day of the season ensuring it was West Ham who made the drop into the second tier.

Andy Robertson has already arrived, signing on a free transfer from Liverpool, while it is expected that Marcos Senesi will follow him following his exit from Bournemouth.

Tottenham have so many attacking players injured

Both of those are defensive signings, with the Lilywhites also having a bid rejected for another defender in the form of Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton.

De Zerbi will look at attacking reinforcements this summer too, having been unable to call upon the likes of Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert or Mohammed Kudus since arriving in north London, and only briefly able to name Xavi Simons in his side.

Marcus Rashford has been linked with a move to N17, because of the confusion around his future.

The England international, currently on duty with the Three Lions in the United States of America ahead of the start of the 2026 World Cup, has spent this season on loan with Barcelona in La Liga and has had a successful spell at the Camp Nou.

Rashford, after falling out of favour with former United boss Ruben Amorim, scored 14 goals and laid on 14 assists in 49 appearances for the Catalans, who hold an option to buy him from Manchester United for around £26million.

However, having signed Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United for £69million, Barca are keen to negotiate the terms of that option to buy deal with United, looking to either bring the price down or spread the payments across another loan deal and then a purchase after the 2026/27 campaign.

Rashford’s future looks like it is at Barcelona or Manchester United

Rashford will return to United after the World Cup, if a move away is not completed, but his future at Old Trafford appears to be over.

Tottenham are one of a number of Premier League teams to have enquired about his availability and the potential to complete a transfer, but have been rebuffed in their attempts to sign him this summer.

According to Sport in Spain, Rashford has made it clear that he does not want to make the move to Spurs, or any other Premier League team for that matter, and his sole interest is in re-signing for Barcelona.

That may lead to United having to cut their losses and re-negotiate the terms of their deal with the Catalan side, or hold firm and make Rashford have to return to Old Trafford if Barca do not want to spend £26million on him.