Neil Etheridge in action for Walsall. (Getty Images)
Aston Villa News: Aston Villa are set to table £9million bid for Cardiff City goalkeeper Neil Etheridge. (h/t Football Insider)
The Bluebirds, who recently relegated from Premier League, rejected an early bid worth £8million from the Lions.
Etheridge, 29, was one of the positives for Cardiff in the recently concluded season as he bagged the club’s player of the season award.
The Philippines shot-stopper, in fact, kept 10 clean sheets, higher than some big names like David de Gea, Kasper Schmeichel and Bernd Leno.
A youth product of both Chelsea and Fulham, Etheridge spent half of his career with various clubs before finding his feet with Walsall where he played around 100 games.
On his debut season with the Blues, the former Charlton Athletic man racked up 19 clean sheets, earning his side promotion to the Premier League.
The Lions affected a lot with the goalkeeping options throughout the campaign as newly acquired Lovre Kalinic from Croatia and his second choice Orje Nyland went AWOL with the injuries.
But Jed Steer, who returned from his loan spell with Charlton Atheltic, takes the full credit for pulling out some great performances and helped the Lions to earn promotion to England’s top tier. The 26-year-old’s heroics in the play-offs semifinal were some of his notable displays.
However, the Blue and Claret army is yet to decide on Steer’s future at Villa Park as his contract runs out at the end of next season. Given this, Etheridge could provide the Lions with a much-needed solution at least on a temporary basis mainly because of his age.
In addition, the Philippines No 1 holds a wealth of experience under his belt which could be vital for Dean Smith to move further in Premier League.
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