Aston Villa could beat Sunderland to signing – CL qualification key for Emery

Aston Villa and Sunderland transfer target Eljif Elmas
Aston Villa and Sunderland transfer target Eljif Elmas

Eljif Elmas will be looking for a new club in the summer and have expressed interest in Aston Villa And Sunderland.

Napoli signed the 26-year-old on loan from RB Leipzig in the summer. Partenopei had the option to buy him permanently €17 million, having seen him perform well in the ongoing campaign.

The midfielder has played 32 times in Serie A, playing in the middle of the park during injury crises. He has also performed out wide and in attacking midfield, scoring a total of four goals.

sports witness Have covered interest from Manchester United over the past few months. Although it has not started, it is certain that Napoli will not exercise their option to buy.

tutomercatoweb There have now been reports of interest from Aston Villa and Sunderland.

Initial contact is being made

The report makes it clear that Napoli CEO Aurelio De Laurentiis has no intention of exercising his option to buy. Elmas is not part of Leipzig’s plans and this will leave him looking for a new club.

Sunderland and Aston Villa have made moves for him in recent times.

The player is keen to play Champions League football, leaving the Black Cats as an option he is not attracted to.

This makes Aston Villa a more likely option. As a result, Unai Emery’s side will increase their efforts by already making inquiries for him.

Aston Villa are smart to move forward

Elmas is a classic market opportunity and a very useful player to add to the team. He can play in a variety of positions, often contributes to goals and has a clean fitness record.

This is why Aston Villa would be smart to make a move, Emery is no stranger to having versatile players in the squad.

He is only 26 years old and is unlikely to be worth much. While his Leipzig contract expires in 2028, he is not part of their plans and around €17 million could prove enough to sign him.

Aston Villa should be alert to the situation, Elmas’ technical ability may also attract Emery.

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Canadiens preview: Playoff qualification possible

The Montreal Canadiens (45-21-10) will face the New Jersey Devils (39-34-3) on Sunday, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

This is the second leg of back-to-back games in which both teams have managed to secure at least one point in the first matchup. The Canadiens jumped out to a 3–0 lead, but the Devils battled back into the game to force it into a shootout, where first-year players Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen scored for the Habs.

Cole Caulfield also scored, but only in the shootout, meaning the Bell Center faithful will have a chance to celebrate his 50th goal.

It’s also important to note that the Canadiens can clinch a playoff berth on Sunday. If they beat the Devils again, they will make it on their own, however, if the Detroit Red Wings lose to the Minnesota Wild they will officially qualify as well. The Habs only have 32 regulation wins, which is why the Buffalo Sabres, who are currently below them in the Atlantic Division standings, have already qualified.

Simply put, it’s only a matter of time before the Canadiens punch their ticket to the springtime dance for the second consecutive season, quite an accomplishment when we consider they finished last in the league in 2021-22.

Lineup Changes

Given that the team did not practice on Sunday, any lineup changes will be confirmed when the Canadiens take the ice for pregame warm-ups.

That being said, the Habs are expected to give rookie netminder Jacob Fowler the start on Sunday, as his first-year counterpart Jacob Dobbs faced the Devils on Saturday night.

Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup

Cole Coffield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkowski

Alex Newhook – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov

Zach Bolduc – Jake Evans – Josh Anderson

Joe Veleno – Philip Danault – Brendan Gallagher

Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson

Jaden Struble- Lane Hutson

Caden Guhle – Arbor Zekaj

jacob fowler

New Jersey Devils Projected Lineup

Timo Meyer – Nico Hischier – Dawson Mercer

Jasper Bratt – Jack Hughes – Connor Brown

Lenny Haminaho – Cody Glass – Nick Bjugstad

Evgeny Dadonov – Paul Couture – Maxim Tsyplyakov

Jonas Seigenthaler – Dougie Hamilton

Luke Hughes – Jonathan Kovacevic

Brendan Dillon – Simon Nemec

jacob markstrom

How to watch Hubs Vs. the devil

Montreal Canadiens vs. New Jersey Devils, Sunday, April 5, 2026, will be broadcast on TSN2 and RDS. A quick recap with highlights will be available on SportsNote once the final whistle blows.

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#Canadiens #preview #Playoff #qualification

Aston Villa player given approval to sign regardless of European qualification

donyal mallen

Donyal Malen has impressed for AS Roma since arriving from Aston Villa. The Netherlands man is close to joining Gian Piero Gasperini’s team on a permanent basis.

In 2026, Malen has been one of the most prolific forwards in the top five European leagues. He has seven Serie A goals to his name, and has also scored once in the Europa League.

Even though Roma have fallen out of the top four and are now sixth, the striker’s influence can clearly be seen. He has proven to be quite an upgrade over Ivan Ferguson and Artem Dovbyk, fitting Gasperini’s demanding system well.

sports witness In Italy, Gasperini has compared him to Gianluca Vialli.

Even though Roma’s obligation to purchase the player depends on European qualification, they are still looking to secure a permanent deal.

Friedkins was impressed by Malen.

today’s corriere dello sport There is a detailed report about the 27-year-old. He is convinced that his permanent arrival in Rome is now a done deal.

He feels that Donyal Malen has single-handedly transformed the club’s attack. There is no need for another presidential meeting to keep them beyond the season. Roma may miss out on European football but that won’t stop them signing the Aston Villa player permanently.

With the Freakdins having already given their approval for it, Ricky Massara could soon put papers on the move. The attacker is now seen as someone who will be the center of the project from next season.

Aston Villa will earn €25m from the departure, with Roma having already paid a €2m loan fee.

Our Opinion: The deal is turning out to be excellent for all parties

Roma usually do not spend big on players unless they are absolutely sure of them. This in itself tells us how impressed he is with Donyal Mallen.

The player really needed it, especially after his lack of regular playing time at Birmingham. This spell also came ahead of the World Cup and has perhaps reassured Ronald Koeman of the striker’s abilities.

This is proving to be a very good step for Aston Villa as well. They paid a total of €26m to sign him from Borussia Dortmund. Despite not actually looking its best, they can make capital gains from its sale.

#Aston #Villa #player #approval #sign #European #qualification