Playoff finalists Aston Villa are facing a fight to keep hold of star defender James Chester, with Brighton interested in signing the Welsh international.

The former West Brom man was one of the key performers for Villa last season and has been rumoured to be on the list of quite a few clubs this summer, however, according to the Mirror, it would appear it is Chris Hughton's Brighton who could make the first move.

Chester formed an excellent partnership with John Terry last terms as the Villans came within one game of a return to the top flight, but with Terry now gone, and manager Steve Bruce under pressure to cut the wage bill, Chester could well be viewed as a saleable asset by the club.

Indeed, the report claims that Brighton maintain an interest in the player due to their thoughts that defender Lewis Dunk could be targeted by Leicester City over the course of the summer.

Chester has been a mainstay of the Villa team and has drawn praise from manager Bruce for his attitude and performances last term. He signed for Villa in a £9m move from West Brom some two seasons back, and will have been devasted to not get back into the big time following the club's loss to Fulham at Wembley.

Villa fans, what do you think? Would you sell Chester? Let us know in the comments!