Villa release four, make offers to eleven others

The Premier League put out its annual list of players retained and released by clubs today, and Aston Villa didn't make any shocking news. Gone, as we already knew, are Marc Albrighton and Nathan Delfouneso. Joining them on the free transfer part of the list are youth players Aidan Grant and Andras Steiber. All four players have contracts that run through June, but it's unlikely that any of them return to Villa (especially Marc Albrighton, who has signed a four-year deal with Leicester City today). 

From the list we also learn that Villa have made offers to eleven out-of-contract players. From that group Callum Robinson and Janoi Donacien are the big names, since we already know that Gary Gardner will indeed be with the club for the next two years. There are also a number of academy players who have been offered professional contracts.

The list is not final and not all eleven players may end up re-signing with Villa. Nevertheless, it gives us some idea of which youth might be staying in the system, and it indicates eve more clearly than before that Villa will indeed be signing contracts this summer. 

Give the list a quick look. Any surprises on there? Let us know what you think!