Aston Villa have issued the following press statement in what is a shock and surprise move for a player who had expressed a desire to sign for a club in the Champions league.

Aston Villa is delighted to announce the signing of Danny Ings.

The England striker has signed a three-year deal after joining for an undisclosed fee from Southampton.

Ings, 29, scored 14 goals last term for both club and country and joins summer recruits Leon Bailey, Emi Buendía and Ashley Young at Villa Park.

Head Coach Dean Smith said: “Danny is an outstanding Premier League footballer who has scored goals wherever he has played.

"He is also a top professional with a great character who will be a leader in our squad and a role model for our rapidly developing young Academy players who are now in and around the first team. I am delighted to welcome Danny to our great Club.”

A few days ago Ralph Hasenhuttl spoke of how players no longer wanted to be club legends, little did we know that he was referring to Danny ings, Saints fans would not have been happy to see him leave, but they could accept if it was to a club in the Champions League or even to a lesser extend the Europa League, but to go to Aston Villa a club who finished 11th is a kick in the teeth to Saints who resurrected his career three years ago.

Photo: Action Images

WestSussexSaint added 18:58 - Aug 4 Speculation that the fee is around £30m and if that is the case that is decent money for a player in the last year of their contract. It will be interesting to see how happy Danny is that it is Villa rather than a top 4 side but as soon as he refused the contract on the table he was open to being sold to any club making a decent offer. Let’s go and get Armstrong from Blackburn now.

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Knibbosaint added 19:03 - Aug 4 What a joke. I nearly crashed when I heard this on Talk Sport. F### Danny Ings.
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highfield49 added 19:04 - Aug 4 I don't think any of us was expecting that, absolutely amazed that Ings would rather play for Villa than Southampton. As WestSussexSaint has said, it opens up the option to get shot of Obafemi in p.ex for Armstrong if he's the player we want.
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LordDZLucan added 19:09 - Aug 4 Ings had cashed in his ambition for a few extra sheckles at Villa. I'm speechless. It had better be a decent transfer fee.
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wrathoftazz added 19:19 - Aug 4 Thought he wanted to play for a DECENT team lol. In all fairness, best to get rid of him if he was going to cause sh1t like VVD did. He was injured more often than not and atleast now we have a quick 30m in the bank and no wage bill for when he eventually gets a knock and spends 3months in physio.
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ElijahK added 19:20 - Aug 4 I’m ABSOLUTELY GOBSMACKED by this!!! I mean Ings goes on about wanting to play champions league football and join a bigger team… yet he joins Villa!? I mean supposedly money wasn’t the issue with his contact and that he just wanted to get better quality football, yet he’s joined a team that in my opinion will finish like 14th next season without Grealish (Who’s clearly leaving them with all the signings that they’ve made)! I mean we all take about loyalty and such, but Ings clearly has none whatsoever seeing that he’s left his childhood club that got him back into that England squad as well as playing him all the time and being loved by the fans, to simply join a team that Saints will be battling similarly for where we finish in the league, who he has no connection to whatsoever! I mean other than maybe Prowse, we certainly have some plastic players these days!

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ElijahK added 19:22 - Aug 4 Clearly left for the money! I mean I’d certainly have preferred to keep him but at least the jerks gone for a decent price, and is clearly getting paid a high wage seeing that he’s just taken a sideways move!
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ItchenNorth added 19:46 - Aug 4 Happy he went to Villa and not someone like Spurs. Villa are loaded with money with a billionaire owner. Forget the Grealish money that's coming their way, they will be throwing it around regardless. We now need to spend the 30m. Go get Armstrong if we believe he's the answer. Just please, don't sell JWP !
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Billeewithers added 19:53 - Aug 4 Not the least surprised. Good business by Saints. He is a walking injury and not a player to build around. And as we know not reliable. Saints handling business well from a previously poor position things are nearer pointing forwards now.
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Billeewithers added 19:55 - Aug 4 We can really enjoy baiting him when he turns up to play.....if he is fit that is!!
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Peterx added 19:56 - Aug 4 Our form went down when he did not renew his contract last year. Lets invest wisely.
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graveworm added 19:56 - Aug 4 Better gone Sums up where football is at nowadays Kiss the badge Kiss my ass Good riddance
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Manooman added 20:00 - Aug 4 Well Danny... You made a right pigs ear of that. Refused to sign a new contract expecting a top club to come in for you. When no one wanted you sign for a lesser club than you're already at in desperation. Good luck with those injuries this season.
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kenis added 20:05 - Aug 4 Before everyone piles in on Ings, maybe we should consider this - does he know Saints need the money and it’s better for the Saints he goes to whoever is paying than he goes for free next year? Plus I bet his agent and him would only have made this move if they knew a champions league or “big six” club were not going to sign him except as an afterthought / 5th choice. It rankles, yes, but I’d rather have had him and seen him score some great goals, win us games and nearly get the golden boot AND get a big fee than not have had him at all or having paid out £20m seen him leave on a free. Best of luck to him, hope he stays fit and scores goals, just not against us. We shouldn’t overpay for any replacement and hope we have a plan in place, Armstrong or whoever, it if we start with Adams, Obafemi, Tella, Long, Redmond as our striking options then let’s back them and make sure they have the chances to convert and the clean sheets to mean we win when we score!

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Block8 added 20:05 - Aug 4 Sad day for us and a local lad, his goals inspired confidence in the team and fans. Not convinced it is a good move for him but his desire for England recognition is, sadly better served at Villa with Southgate in charge! Hopefully the money will fund a couple of players but we need goals to compensate for our obvious weaknesses and that won t be easy. Can't deny i am more concerned today than I was yesterday but still looking forward to the season as I always do! COYR💓

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Boris1977 added 20:14 - Aug 4 Let's see what happens to the money. This feels like a body blow as it was unexpected and it feels like we are repeating mistakes from the past in terms of not preparing a squad for the following season as early as possible. Could this piece of business not have been done a month ago? No expectation - as per the last 4 seasons or so.
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Monksway added 20:22 - Aug 4 I support Saints not footballers. Well done Danny for the shift you put in for Saints. I neither know you not care about your future now that you have left. I hope we sign somebody that will score goals next season. COYS.
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ronniedavies added 20:32 - Aug 4 Don't forget Liverpool will get a fair size chunk of the proceeds thanks to their sell on clause of around 25%
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saintmark1976 added 20:32 - Aug 4 Not in the least surprised that the club has accepted an offer of £30 million. As I posted in reference to Villa’s “ derisory” offer of £25 million for J W P, Saints last accounts show a loss of £76.1 million with a suggestion that the club has taken out a loan of £78.8 and that just the interest payments costs £7.2 million a year till at least 2025. With those types of figures on the balance sheet our owners were never going to resist taking the money in my opinion. I fully expect that if Villa return with a slightly increased offer then J W P will be away also. The 9/2 offered on us to be relegated won’t now be around for long I suspect.

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WestSussexSaint added 21:08 - Aug 4 Ronniedavies, the Liverpool clause is 20% of the profit Saints make on the sale. So if the fee was £30m then we made £10m profit after paying Liverpool £20m for the original purchase of Ings. Liverpool will get £2m. Pocket change for them but should cover Klopps next trip to the dentist for his teeth whitening.
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SanMarco added 21:19 - Aug 4 I'm afraid I think less of Ings for this. I actually expect his career could well now fall away like Spiderman's or James Beattie's did post-Saints. If it does - good. The man is a liar - unless Villa ARE in the CL and I didn't notice... If the fee is 30m then I think the club has made the best of a bad situation here. I fervently hope we are going to replace him. The friendly tonight shows that we have some useful players up the pitch but none of them are going to score many goals.

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IanRC added 21:43 - Aug 4 He’s an ungrateful sod and good riddance to him. Southgate should shoulder some of the blame for this. Shouldn’t Villa have been a championship team last season if VAR hadn’t missed the Sheffield United goal the preceding season, good luck with getting into the Champions League with that shower with or without the serial diver. Hope we spend the money wisely.
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KriSaint added 22:30 - Aug 4 Thanks for his services and for the 30 mill. pounds of which Liverpool can have 2 - 2.5 mill. because of the sell-on clause. If we are allowed to spend all 27.5 - 28 million, let´s spend it wisely and do a Koeman season. COYS! <3
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Crispinmumbles added 22:43 - Aug 4 Let himself and the club down. Just another money-grabbing mercenary. I doubt that all but a percentage of the money will disappear - never to be seen again.
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sandywelsh added 22:51 - Aug 4 Danny Ings is just a Judas in the end.
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