Magpies swoop for Delph and Weimann as Villa up for sale

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew is said to be chasing Aston Villa duo Fabian Delph and Andreas Weimann as he looks to fill the hole left by the departure of Yohann Cabaye in midfield, and replace Loic Remy in attack as his loan spell ends.

Delph who is in the mould of a combative box-to-box central midfielder, also has an eye for the spectacular. His goal in the win against Chelsea at Villa Park earlier in the season had potential suitors swooning.

Newcastle has become a popular destination for former Leeds United players in recent years, with the likes of Mark Viduka, Alan Smith, Lee Bowyer, James Milner, and Jonathan Woodgate featuring for both teams this century.

Weimann has shown he has talent in front of goal, and the Austrian has done well to net five times this term for a side that has struggled to create chances. Retaining Remy for next season appears unlikely with Arsenal and Everton both linked. The latter are rumoured to have identified the Frenchman, if they cannot secure Romelu Lukaku on a permanent deal.

A fee of £15m has been mooted for both Delph and Weimann; with news emerging that chairman Randy Lerner has put the West Midlands outfit up for sale.

The American who took charge of Villa in 2006 in a £62.6M acquisition, told media: “I owe it to Villa to move on, and look for fresh, invigorated leadership, if in my heart I feel I can no longer do the job.”

Paul Lambert’s team finished the 2013/14 campaign in 15th position just five points above the relegation zone; their Premier League status guaranteed after a victory over Hull City on May 3rd.

Speculation has been fuelled about Lambert’s future in recent months, with the team struggling for consistency in what has been a hard season. The Scot is 3/1 to leave his post before the first game of the 2014/15 campaign.

This latest news will raise questions over the future of certain players, and all associated with the club. Christian Benteke is injured until October at the earliest, and fans will be anxious as to the intentions of the next owners; with the squad in need of strengthening. Villa are 9/2 to be relegated next season.

Lerner has engaged representatives from Bank of America Merrill Lynch to begin negotiations regarding a potential deal.