Aston Villa are one of a number of sides interested in signing Manchester United goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

Sam Johnstone could return to Aston Villa this summer

A report in the Express and Star has suggested that Steve Bruce is hoping that the prospect of being the guaranteed number one will persuade Sam Johnstone to ignore all other offers on the table and make the move to Aston Villa this summer.

The Express and Star reports that Villa are one of a number of teams interested in signing the 24-year-old following his loan spell at the club last season, and Manchester United are prepared to sanction a deal.

However, the Express and Star adds that while United will give a permanent exit the green light should they receive an offer of £5 million, the Villans are much more likely to pursue another loan move with the price out of their range.

But Bruce is hoping that the guarantee of being the club’s first-choice will tempt Johnstone to reject any other bids and instead return to Villa Park.

Though Johnstone failed to win over all of the supporters during his loan spell, his return would perhaps be a popular decision given the options Bruce currently has at his disposal.

Johnstone made some errors during his time with Villa, but showed plenty of glimpses of being the kind of keeper that could help the side challenge for promotion, most notably, keeping seven clean sheets during a run of eight games.

And perhaps with a lengthy pre-season under his belt to develop a greater understanding with the players in front of him, Johnstone could be the kind of addition that makes a major impact at Villa during this coming campaign if they win the race for his signature.

Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce

In other news, Mourinho claims Sergio Reguilon is in 'advanced stage' of settling in at Tottenham