Cardiff have turned down Aston Villa’s £8m bid for first-choice goalkeeper Neil Etheridge, claims Wales Online.
The Bluebirds are bracing themselves for bids in a number of their players after they were relegated to the Championship last season.
Etheridge was one of Cardiff’s standout performers in the Premier League and Villa want to make the 29-year-old their first choice shot-stopper for next season.
Villa signed three goalkeepers over the course of last season but won the play-off final with Jed Steer between the sticks.
Dean Smith wants to address Villa’s issue in goal definitively before their return to the Premier League and has identified Etheridge as his first choice transfer target.
Villa face competition from Fulham, who reportedly bid closer to the region of £10m last week, but Smith’s side can offer Premier League football whereas Fulham cannot.
Only Lukasz Fabianski (144) made more saves than Etheridge (138) in the Premier League last season and the Philippines international won the WhoScored Man of the Match award three times.
