Sun: Aston Villa are planning a summer move for Sampdoria left-back Christian Maggio, 26. Villa Park spies watched the £4million-rated ace in Sunday's 3-0 win over Udinese.

Mirror: Thierry Henry has been urged to quit Barcelona and return to the Premier League by Aston Villa striker John Carew. Henry's dream £16m move to Spain has not gone to plan and Carew said: "If he wants to come back, I say get him here."

Times: Olof Mellberg believes that Aston Villa have the momentum to provide him with a fairytale farewell by claiming a place in Europe. The Sweden defender, who will move to Juventus this summer after seven seasons at the club, has urged his team-mates to pick up where they left off in the 5-1 thrashing of Birmingham City last weekend when they play Everton on Sunday in a match that resembles a play-off for fifth place in the Barclays Premier League. Martin O'Neill's team are three points behind the Merseyside club and, on the day that the draw for the Intertoto Cup emphasised the consolation prize on offer, Mellberg underlined his desire to bow out of English football on a high. With Portsmouth likely to qualify for the Uefa Cup through the FA Cup, Everton and Villa could claim the remaining European place through the league. The next best placed team can enter the Intertoto Cup at the third-round stage in July. Winning that two-legged tie would earn entry to the Uefa Cup. Mellberg, who joined the club for £5 million from Racing Santander in July 2001, said: "There are exciting times ahead for Villa and we are definitely looking at that fifth spot. "And if European football arrives next season, hopefully we can do well. The way we have performed and the way these young lads have enjoyed their football, it bodes well."

Birmingham Post: Aston Villa director General Charles C Krulak has revealed it was not just the players who were pumped up in anticipation of the Villa -Blues derby at the weekend. He claims he had not felt so fired up himself before a game since 'Desert Storm.' In a fascinating post on the Villa Talk website, the American war veteran, who has seen a few adrenalin-fuelled battles in his time, claimed he was so nervous that he did not sleep the night before the big game and confessed that he and Randy Lerner shunned the comforts of their own directors box to sample the experience as a 'fan.'

Birmingham Post: Aston Villa's very own 'Daddy Cool' Moustapha Salifou has thanked the club and its supporters for their exceptional efforts in making him feel so at home at Villa Park. The Togo international joined Villa in the summer and has already won over the supporters who have dedicated their very own song to the tune of the Boney M's 'Daddy Cool'.

Daily Star: Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is ready to take on Newcastle in a £250,000 tussle for Bournemouth striker Sam Vokes, 18. O'Neill also wants Sampdoria left-back Christian Maggio, 26.