John Terry: Aston Villa expect wait for decision from ex-Chelsea captain

Aston Villa do not expect progress in their bid to sign John Terry until next week after making a contract offer to the former England captain.

The Championship club have offered a lucrative package to Terry, 36, whose deal with Chelsea expires on 30 June.

But Villa know that many offers have been made to the centre-back, including one from local rivals Birmingham.

Terry has been training hard while on holiday in Portugal, posting updates of training regimes on social media.

He has also been pictured on a number of occasions playing golf with Villa manager Steve Bruce, who is also in Portugal during the summer break.

Analysis

Bruce is a long-term admirer of Terry, valuing his leadership qualities. If he had been appointed as England manager in the summer of 2016, Bruce planned to bring Terry into his coaching set-up, working with defenders.

Bruce feels Villa lack players with the necessary character who can deal with the pressures of playing for such a big club.

He believes Terry would be the ideal leader to galvanise the squad and would make him captain.

But the lure of carrying on as a Premier League player - with Swansea, Bournemouth and West Bromwich Albion all interested in Terry - may disappoint Villa.

An eye-watering offer from Turkish club Galatasaray is another factor, if money proves a major consideration to Terry. There is also definite interest from China and the United States.

He is not short of interest from many clubs and, if Terry did plump for Aston Villa, it would be a major coup for Bruce.