Villa expected to make new offer for Swansea City midfielder

According to Mat Kendrick in the Birmingham Mail, Paul Lambert is set to make a renewed effort at signing Swansea midfielder Ki Sung-Yueng. The South Korean international was already the target of an Aston Villa inquiry, but no deal could be finished before the club left on their Texas tour.

Now, however, Lambert is keen to bring in more players. "I'm still looking to bring another couple of signings in when we return." Ki, who is in the last year of his contract at Swansea, could be a very useful addition to an Aston Villa midfield that is, at best, adequate. Fabian Delph does a lot of work in the middle of the pitch, but even he can't patch over the shortcomings of Ashley Westwood and Karim El Ahmadi. A player who can control possession and create opportunities with regularity (and not be injured for half the season) would be a boon to the club.

Since he's in the last year of his contract, Ki likely wouldn't cost that much, but Swansea don't seem keen on letting him go. That alone may inflate the price beyond what Lambert is willing - or able - to pay. If he can be had for something around £4 million, Ki would make a lot of sense. For much more, it doesn't seem like a move that is likely to happen.

Now that the club are back from their Texas trip, though, I think we can start expecting to see Lambert's final few moves of the summer begin to fall into place. He's seen a bit from the club and he knows what else needs to be done. Get ready for the rumour mill to hit its stride.