Aston Villa have been handed a potential boost to their hopes of securing a transfer deal for reported summer target Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. 

The Lowdown: Villa's summer interest in Oxlade-Chamberlain

The Midlands club were linked with a move for the Englishman during the previous summer transfer window, but ended up bringing in Leander Dendoncker on deadline day.

This season has seen the Liverpool figure make just four appearances for the club across all competitions, with a hamstring injury ruling him out for a large portion of the campaign.

Following his previous links to Villa Park, it seems as though a big update has emerged regarding the 29-year-old's current situation and Anfield and his future with Jurgen Klopp's side.

The Latest: Oxlade-Chamberlain to leave Liverpool

In a recent Twitter post, journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has shared that Oxlade-Chamberlain is 'expected' to leave Liverpool as a free agent.

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He said: "Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, expected to leave Liverpool in 2023 as free agent. There are no talks to extend his contract as things stand."

The Verdict: A useful signing for Emery

With over 200 Premier League appearances under his belt, across which he has scored 19 goals and delivered 28 assists, Oxlade-Chamberlain certainly has sufficient top-flight experience to be a useful addition to Villa's squad.

Having featured in almost every outfield position possible throughout his career, this sort of versatility would also make the Reds figure a rather helpful option for Unai Emery to have at his disposal.

 

Across the 17 league appearances he made last season, the midfielder ended up making more crosses into the 18-yard box (4) than the likes of Diogo Jota (2), Harvey Elliott (2) and Thiago Alcantara (1).

Taking all of this into account, if Villa were to reignite their reported interest in Oxlade-Chamberlain and bring him to Villa Park in the summer as a free agent, this could be a very smart and rather risk-free move from the Midlands club financially and from a footballing perspective.