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Everton to rival Aston Villa for Blackpool's Tom Ince
EVERTON and Aston Villa have entered discussions with Blackpool about signing Tom Ince.
Liverpool were linked with a move to bring Ince back to Anfield in January only for a deal to fail to materialise.
But Ince has been consistently with a move to the Premier League this summer, having already turned down a move to Cardiff, and it now appears that Everton and Aston Villa are leading the chase.
According to Sky News Radio both Everton and Villa have already begun negotiations with Blackpool to sign the 21-year-old, with a fee of £8m - £10m thought to be enough to prise the youngster away from Bloomfield Road.
Blackpool boss, and Tom's father Paul Ince, will be reluctant to see his son depart having also lost winger Matt Phillips to QPR last week.
But Ince Sr. has accepted that his son is likely to leave the club at some point, with the only proviso being he doesn't move a club where he will sit on the bench and stunt his development.
He told Sky Sports News last week:"What I wouldn't want Thomas to do is to go to a club and then spend a lot of time on the bench, as that would hamper his development.
"Whenever he does go, and whatever club he goes to, he needs to be playing football and his development needs to be taken forward.
"Look at Scott Sinclair when he left Swansea and went to Manchester City, he hasn't played for two years. That won't happen to Thomas."
Ince Jr. is currently recovering from a thigh injury, but it remains to be seen whether either Everton or Aston Villa are able to guarantee the England Under-21 international regular first-team football.