Aston Villa are reportedly ‘willing’ to meet Fulham’s £60m price tag for Joao Palhinha this summer, who is a key target for Liverpool.

The 27-year-old has been tremendous for the Cottagers this season, so it’s no surprise to see several Premier League clubs vying for his signature.

Unai Emery is expected to be given funds to spend in the transfer market, and bringing in a player like Palhinha would be a great starting point.

Indeed, the Spanish manager has helped transform Aston Villa from relegation candidates into top-six hopefuls in less than a season.

Now, with the help of his soon-to-be Director of Football Mateu Alemany, he is tipped to make some big signings ahead of next term.

This season, Palhinha has made 31 Premier League appearances for Fulham, scoring three goals in the process.

The Portugal international has played a key role in their success, ttoo, with Marco Silva’s side sitting in an impressive 10th place in the table.

The midfielder was only signed by Fulham last summer. As a result, the London club won’t let him go cheaply, reportedly slapping a £60m price tag on their star man.

READ MORE: Emery chasing £30m defender reunion as Aston Villa look to scupper proposed Newcastle deal

Villa to shock Liverpool and meet Palhinha price tag

As previously noted by TEAMtalk, Palhinha’s impressive performances have caught the attention of Liverpool. In fact. Jurgen Klopp is looking to bring in more than one centre-mid this summer.

Alexis Mac Allister, for example, is another player the Reds have been heavily linked with. But, they may now have to look for alternatives to Palhinha, with Aston Villa moving ahead of them in the race for his signature.

This is according to Football Insider, who claim that the Villains are ‘ready’ to match Fulham’s £60m price tag for Palhinha. As a result, this would make the Portuguese star their club-record signing.

However, Liverpool are not the only other club in the race. Tottenham, Chelsea and Bayern Munich have all registered an interest in Palhinha, for instance.

But, if the Football Insider report is correct, Villa have taken a major first step in securing the midfielder’s services.

As mentioned, the Midlands club could be in for a very exciting transfer window. This will be aided by the impending arrival of new director of football Alemany, who will leave his role at Barcelona at the end of the season.

Alemany has already identified several high-profile targets from LaLiga, such as Andreas Christensen, Ferran Torres and Franck Kessie.

Bringing in that trio, along with Palhinha, could be enough to cement Villa’s spot at the top of the Premier League next season. So, it will be interesting to see who the Villains bring in this summer.

READ MORE: Transfer Gossip: Liverpool go in for 52-goal midfielder as Klopp spies £25m saving; Tottenham ask Barcelona to name price for dream Levy signing

The article Emery delight with Aston Villa ‘ready’ to hijack Liverpool move for £60m target; Klopp won’t be happy appeared first on Teamtalk.com.