Angel offered bumper new contract

[andy villa]

Aston Villa have offered Juan Pablo Angel a new four-year contract that would make him one of the highest paid players in the club's history.

Villa officials held talks with Angel's advisors earlier this week in a bid to reach agreement on the deal that would secure the striker's future at Villa Park until he was 32.

The deal is believed to be worth in excess of £1.5m a year and it would tie Angel to the club until the summer of 2008.

Angel's current deal still has 12 months left to run although Villa do also hold a further one-year option on him.

Colombian international Angel, who scored 23 goals last season, is now considering the deal while back in South America.

Angel, who joined Villa for a club record £9.5m from River Plate in 2001, is resting after a knee problem that forced him to withdraw from the Colombian squad for the Copa America in Peru.

During his three-and-a-half years with Villa he has scored 43 goals in 103 appearances.

Last season he became the first Villa player since Dwight Yorke back in 1996-97 to score 20 goals in a season.



has the old codger finally lost his marbles and decided to do summat decent for once?!?!?!!?

[The Rule]

that's £30,000 a week, highly unlike Ellis to pay some1 that much these days.

[andy villa]

i know, i nearly had a fuckin heart attack when i read it... the old coffin dodger must hav forgot to take some of his senile old git pills or summat........

[andy villa]

Aston Villa will continue contract talks with striker Juan Pablo Angel next week.

Angel will jet back into England from Colombia to start pre-season training with Villa keen to get him tied down to a new four-year deal before they kick-off the new season against Southampton at Villa Park on 14 August.

Villa made their initial offer to Angel back in April and had hoped to have had the deal signed and sealed by now.

But the contract, which is rumoured to be worth £40,000 a week and more than £8m over four years, remains unsigned amid speculation that Angel wants a £60,000 a week deal.

Villa appear unlikely to increase their opening offer to Angel as they hold a lot of aces in the contract talks.

Angel is already tied to Villa for another two years after the club took up the 12-month option that they hold on him.

The contract talks have been given added spice by continued speculation that new Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez would like to sign Angel.

Villa have already warned off Liverpool by insisting that they will not put a price on Angel whose 23-goals last season made him the first Villa player since Dwight Yorke in the 1996-97 season to score 20 goals in a season.