It is thought the interest in his native Holland would be considerably higher were he to decide to return to the Netherlands.

Buter said: “The problem for Stefan at the moment is that he would prefer to stay in England but there aren’t any concrete offers – only rumours, phone calls and discussions with scouts.

“There are no bids to Aston Villa so there cannot be any negotiations over the salary or the fee involved.

“There is interest in England but it is slow. In Holland that interest in Stefan is a lot more advanced.

“We cannot keep saying ‘no, no, no’ to these clubs as we wait for something to happen in this country.

“Certainly the proposal from Utrecht sounds very good and they are prepared to pay a small fee to Villa.”