Tim Sherwood is expected to offer Tom Cleverley a contract in the next couple of weeks in an attempt to keep the midfielder at Aston Villa after his season-long loan from Manchester United comes to an end. The Villa manager has been impressed with Cleverley since taking over from Paul Lambert and hopes to convince the 25-year-old, who will be a free agent in the summer, he can continue to rebuild his career under his watch.
Cleverley, who has 13 England caps, is keen to explore his options and see what opportunities become available but it is understood he would be open to the idea of holding formal talks with Villa. After failing to make much of an impression under Lambert in a struggling Villa team, Cleverley has looked rejuvenated with Sherwood in charge and he is enjoying his football again.
Villa are aware they will face strong competition from Everton. Roberto Martínez is a big admirer of a player he worked with at Wigan Athletic and was close to bringing to Goodison Park in September only for a temporary deal to fall through when United refused to sanction a loan move.
To have any chance of keeping Cleverley, Villa know they will need to retain their Premier League status - something that looks much more likely on the back of Saturday’s 1-0 victory at Tottenham Hotspur, which lifted them to 15th place and six points clear of the relegation zone.
