Manchester City table £20m bid for Villa star Milner

MANCHESTER CITY last night made a £20 million (€23.2m) bid for Aston Villa and England midfielder James Milner.

It is understood that City tabled the bid with Villa for the England international, who is currently in Austria preparing for the forthcoming World Cup, last night.

Milner has just enjoyed a successful season in a central midfield role and was recently crowned the PFA Young Player of the Year.

The 24 year-old is currently halfway through the four-year contract he signed when joining Villa for £12m (€14m) from Newcastle in the summer of 2008. England coach Fabio Capello recently said that Milner was “the future” of English football and the midfielder has made rapid strides under Villa boss Martin O’Neill.

Manchester United and Chelsea have also been linked with the player who first burst to prominence as a 16-year-old with Leeds.

Villa would be keen to hold on to Milner and owner Randy Lerner stated only last week that he was hopeful of the player remaining at Villa.

But he has become one of the hottest young properties in English football and his value could soar even higher if he has a successful World Cup.