Soccer Football - FA Cup Fifth Round - Liverpool v Norwich City - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - March 2, 2022 Liverpool's Joe Gomez reacts REUTERS/Craig Brough
Aston Villa will be heavily linked with Joe Gomez alongside several other central defenders during the upcoming window as a result of missing out on Matthias Ginter, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.
The Lowdown: Number one target
In a report published by Football Insider just last week, it was revealed that the 28-year-old German turned down a big-money move to the Midlands and has instead decided to join Freiburg from Borussia Monchengladbach on a free transfer.
As a result, Steven Gerrard is now believed to have made Liverpool’s Gomez the number one target on his wish-list this summer and could be set to make a move for him ahead of the start of next season.
The centre-back still has two years remaining on his current contract with the Merseyside outfit, but after falling down the pecking order to the likes of Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate under Jurgen Klopp, he could be tempted into looking elsewhere when the campaign is over.
The Latest: Gerrard eyeing up Gomez
After failing to secure the signing of Ginter, Jones now expects there to be plenty of names doing the rounds at Villa Park. He told GiveMeSport: “I honestly think Villa will be linked with loads of centre-backs between now and June.
“Joe Gomez is obviously one that Gerrard has had his eye on for a while now with his contract situation – still possible that Liverpool renew that, though, so he’s waiting to see.”
The Verdict: An ideal candidate
The 41-year-old boss has been playing the pairing of captain Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa at the back for the majority of the season, but after finding themselves sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League table, it would seem that Gerrard isn’t too happy with his current options and will look to bolster his back-line before anything else.
The £19.8m-rated Gomez has only played 282 minutes in the top-flight this term, but has still got plenty of experience under his belt, having made a total of 141 senior career appearances for Liverpool, showing that he could add some much-needed assurance to the backline.
Gomez, who was once dubbed a “top-quality” player by his teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold, will no doubt already have an established relationship with the Villa manager given both of their previous connections to the Reds, and this could prove to be the deciding factor when it comes down the defender choosing where the next chapter of his career will be.
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