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Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce says he will look to secure the squad’s loanees on permanent deals if the claret and blues can seal promotion to the Premier League on Saturday.

Bruce leads his Villa side to Wembley to take on Fulham in the lucrative Championship play-off final for the chance to sit at English football’s top table once more next season.

Villa have been significantly aided by the group’s borrowed players this term; clean sheet master Sam Johnstone, assist king Robert Snodgrass and, latterly, fox in the box Lewis Grabban have all contributed to their fourth-placed finish.

Young pair Axel Tuanzebe and Josh Onomah, tipped for big things at Manchester United and Tottenham respectively, have also gained valuable experience.

So impressive and important have those performances been, Bruce, should he have a top flight budget to work with in the summer transfer window, will plan to sign them up on a permanent basis - not that such business will be straightforward.

“It is going to be difficult, with the loan players we have got,” he conceded. “It is fairly evident we are going to have go up to keep the loan players, otherwise it will be a struggle to hang onto them, either financially or whatever division we are in.

“It has taken a little bit of time to get the squad where we are. We have a nice mixture at the moment, obviously there are decisions to make on John Terry and Alan Hutton.

“There is still a bit of work to be done. I have to say we have the makings of a very decent squad. The five loan players add to that.

“The first thing we want to do is secure them. I would love to secure them all if we can.

“The loan signings have been instrumental in getting us this far.

“I can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done.

“They’ve been terrific for us, our loan signings.”

Bruce also believes that many of the loanees would happily move to B6 on long-term contracts because of how much they have enjoyed spending time with the promotion-chasing club this term.

It’s evident that the squad morale on a collective note has been high throughout the season - and that has translated onto the pitch.

“The one thing is if you are a footballer you want to play on a Saturday afternoon,” the manager added.

“What better place to do it than here? There are all the hallmarks of a big club, with a big tradition, history and a big crowd. Who wouldn’t want to play at Villa Park every week?

“There is something wrong with you if you don’t enjoy playing here. Even someone like John Terry, with the success he has had. He has enjoyed it too.”

The latest on the ticket touts

Touts are cashing in on the play-off final with Wembley tickets selling for almost FIVE times the normal price.

Aston Villa meet Fulham at Wembley on Saturday evening in the so-called 'richest game in football'.

Villa's tickets have been selling at an incredible rate, despite season ticket holders only permitted to purchase one.

The claret and blues had already sold more than 20,000 within 48 hours of tickets going on sale on Wednesday, May 16 (5pm).

(Image: Twitter/@NeilDavis1080)

But some of those tickets appear to have fallen into the wrong hands with ticket websites such as ticketbis charging Villans in excess of £600 for some seats.

The most expensive ticket available to fans via Villa's ticketing service was the Category One £98 for an adult.

That same ticket is being sold for £474.95 on ticketbis.

During the brief period BirminghamLive spent analysing prices on ticketbis, tickets were selling rapidly as desperate fans parted with huge sums of cash.

The cheapest tickets on ticketbis are selling for £124.60 - but they're in the East End, which is where the Fulham fans are housed.

A huge concern for EFL chiefs is that Villa fans, keen to be at Wembley, will end up sitting in the Fulham end.

While Villa season ticket holders are only permitted to buy one ticket, Fulham allowed their regulars to purchase as many as five.