Aston Villa are reportedly making a very ambitious bid for Arsenal and England midfielder Jack Wilshere.

Rumours are circulating of interest from Juventus, AC Milan, Newcastle, AS Roma, and now, according to the Mirror, Aston Villa. Steve Bruce has already succeeded in bringing John Terry to the club, so it would be fair to say that stranger things have happened.

The situations are obviously vastly different, however, as Terry is no longer on the watch-list of the top clubs in Europe. His options were therefore either to go to a smaller Premier League club, try for a last payday in the USA or China, or drop down the divisions.

Jack Wilshere, on the other hand, is a player approaching his peak. Perhaps it’s surprising given he made his Arsenal debut nine years ago, but Wilshere is still only 25. Reports claim Villa will try to tempt the player with a big contract, but at 25 years old, dropping down to the Championship would be seen by many as a step backwards.

Wilshere has a year left on his Arsenal contract and needs to make the choice whether to stay with Arsenal and fight for his place or leave for a new challenge. Arsenal have plenty of alternatives in central midfield when everyone is fit, which could mean game time is slim for the long-serving Gunners.

His future is up in the air as a result, but it’s unlikely he’d favour a move to Aston Villa.