According to the Telegraph, Aston Villa are longer in the race for Chelsea defender Gary Cahill as he continues to pursue a way out of Stamford Bridge next month.
Aston Villa pull out of potential move for Chelsea defender Gary Cahill | @JPercyTelegraph https://t.co/NvXvWRQbcP
— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) December 28, 2018
Cahill was part of Aston Villa’s setup for seven-and-a-half years, first as a youth player from 2000 to 2004 and then as a professional until 2008. He played 31 games for the Villans across three-and-a-half seasons before switching to Bolton in January 2008. Almost four years later, he would become a Chelsea player during the 2012 winter transfer window.
Villa have pulled out of the chase because of the very high costs they would incur, in either a six-month loan arrangement or a definitive transfer. While Chelsea are willing to pay all of Cahill’s £110,000 per week wages, he would still cost “up to £4 million” for Villa in other fees.
Another factor is that Cahill apparently wants to stay in the Premier League. The ideal setup for him would be a loan stint to see out the remainder of his Chelsea contract, which expires in June next year, to then try the market waters as a free agent. But that could be a tad difficult...