DJS

He wasn't tweeting it as news, he was engaged in a discussion with someone else who doubted that Firmino to us was particularly 'close' - so your man asks him to explain why Ayre & Gordon are in Chile if it isn't to do with getting the deal done for Firmino.

Some fella on Twitter was saying that Ayre & Gordon are in Chile at the moment. Can't imagine the player is discussing a move while the Copa America is on and while it could easily be his agent having talks, would the agent need to be in Chile just because the player is there playing for his international side?

Globo being quite detailed with their info. Saying the fee will be minimum €25m and that he'll sign a 5 year contract.

The idea that losing Sterling is good for us, is nonsense. Losing him is a blow. However, it's not nonsense to suggest that we're getting a huge fee which is disproportionate to his current level of ability. Nor is it wrong to say that if we spend the fee well, we can come out of it much better off. Unfortunately, it's also not nonsense to say that spending money well and us haven't recently gone very hand in hand.

Globo in Brazil saying we are at an advanced stage now and virtually saying the deal for Firmino will happen. Apparently the guy who wrote it is with the Brazil camp in Chile during the Copa America and the consensus is that Globo are reliable.

I don't want Benteke at all. But depending on how long is left on his contract, surely not signing a new one weakens Villa's ability to name their price. The closer he gets to his contract expiring, the lower the price gets.

Without CL, the willingness to pay £200k pw wages or a big name manager to attract big player, this is simply where we are at. The big mistake was last summer when we at least had CL football to offer, but still somehow failed to get genuinely top quality players.

Don't want Bacca and not convinced by Rondon either.

Gazzetta dello Sport still reckon there's legs in the Kovacic link.

1 Sterling moves to City 2 We sign Clyne 3 We don't sign anyone else

I still don't think it makes our position stronger if he'll only go to one club as opposed to if he'd go to several.

Not sure how that works. Surely him solely wanting to go to one club and no others removes any prospect of an auction? Not that we'll be having one anyway, nobody else is stupid enough to go anywhere near £50m.

No doubt City will pay £50m. If push comes to shove, I reckon they'd go to £60m as well. As for Llorente, no chance we have any genuine interest.

I don't think we're in for either Llorente or Bacca. Smells like a deliberate tactical leak to me.

Yep. Would've been a good signing 5 years ago. It's like we're in a time warp or something.

Llorente brings the same issues as Benteke, thrives on aerial service which we don't provide much of. He's also slow, not very mobile or fluid & the wrong side of 30. Don't think he'd succeed with us at all.

knowing our luck, Moses is the one we'll get

I thought the €3.5m was what they'd be giving us Just a loan would seem stupid but then again, if it was 4 years (humour me, I know it won't be) then that'd be €14m we'd be saving on his wages. Which I would settle for. To be frank, I'd take £5m as a fee for an outright transfer. He's absolutely shyte.

Firmino is meant to be costing €25m-€30m isn't he? Not sure about 13m whether it's in pounds or euros.

€3.5m per season would be good if they take him for 4 years.

I'm not sure one season playing for a side that got relegated equates to proven in the league.

To be fair, Downing had great stats too, that's why we bought him.

Don't think we'll get Firmino, but Paul Joyce is running with it as well. Supposedly more reliable than Maddock.

That actually explains what I meant to say in a better way than I did. FSG have got us so relatively crap, or at least perceived to be so crap, that for some people, a yard dog piece of turd like Nzonzi seems like a step in the right direction. I actually think the difference between what happened season just gone, and top four, was a fit Sturridge. We aren't a million miles off qualifying for the top four and we definitely aren't sh*t enough that Nzonzi would be a good signing or a step up for us. We see top 4 as a minimum we should be reaching - en-route to being 27, he sees going to a Europa League club as being the dream he's now ready to reach out for. The two scenarios just don't fit. Do you think, if Chelsea really wanted him, they would've lost out to Stoke? Come on now.

Maybe it isn't FSG's influence, but accepting a player who is miles below the standards that we wish to reach, does fit in with the mediocrity that the owners seem to be happy with.