Henri Lansbury is surplus to requirements at Aston Villa. He was omitted from the Premier League squad in October, was offered the chance to terminate his contract early and has found himself behind Conor Hourihane, Jacob Ramsey, Marvelous Nakamba, Douglas Luiz, John McGinn and Ross Barkley in the midfield pecking order.
Lansbury was told by his manager Dean Smith to fight for his place in the team, but Villa recently confirmed the signing of Morgan Sanson from Marseille, so it doesn’t appear that the 30-year-old will be given a reprieve. The Mirror have now reported that he’s ‘ready to quit’ Villa, with Bristol City interested in signing him.
The out-of-favour midfielder hasn’t made an appearance in any competition since October and doesn’t want to spend the remainder of the season on the periphery, so he is open to a move this month. The Robins have until Monday’s transfer deadline to get a deal over the line.
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Lansbury is out of contract this summer, so Villa could save money by cashing in early. The 30-year-old will be a free agent in July, so he needs to put himself in the shop window by getting game-time in the last few months of the season.
Villa were willing to release Lansbury just to save £40,000 per week from the wage bill, so they’ll likely accept a little in the way of a transfer fee this month so long as he agrees personal terms with a prospective suitor such as Bristol City.
