Matthews a dead cert to go in the summer - but where

FA Cup semi-finalist Aston Villa are the latest Premiership club rumoured to be interest in Cardiff’s highly rated 18-year-old defender Adam Matthews. Financial the club need to sell, so they will be hoping it is not all talk.

He is happy to stay with Bluebirds has he told the South Wales Echo last month he knows if he was to transfer to one of the ‘bigger clubs’ his chances of first team football would be limited to Cup games and possible early round of a European competition. Although the chances of him being a Cardiff City player next season are next to none but the club are in talks with the player about a new improved contract offer.

With a host of clubs rumoured to be waiting in the wings the club have a value the player at £4m/£5m however Manchester United are rumoured to have done a deal with the Bluebirds if this is true we will see in the summer. Four others we are lead to believe are in the chase are Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and who knows who else would like the chance to sign the young defender. All he needs is Chelsea to show an interest and he will have a full house.

We can only hope that if the transfer goes ahead, it will go to auction to maximise the fee unlike the Aaron Ramsey deal. The club set a fee of £5m with two clubs, Manchester United, and Arsenal vying for his signature and it looked to be off to the Manchester club only at the last minute to pick Arsenal. If I were chairman, I would call for sealed bids over £5m with a sell on clause. The money has to be up front none of this spread over three years or something base on games played, Internationals, and all that rubbish.

He will not be the only one up for grabs in the summer.