Aston Villa are eyeing a late swoop to sign Blackburn Rovers forward Ben Brereton Diaz, according to Alan Nixon.

The Lowdown: Busy few days?

Johan Lange and NSWE are still yet to bring in a new defender following a serious injury to Diego Carlos earlier this month. Southampton’s Jan Bednarek has been heavily linked, with reports even suggesting that an ‘agreement in principle’ was reached over the weekend.

Brereton Diaz, who was hailed as a ‘beast’ by former Blackburn manager Tony Mowbray, is another player who has been linked, and it looks as if Villa are thinking of firming up their initial interest in the 23-year-old.

The Latest: Villa linked with Brereton Diaz

Inside Futbol relayed an update from Nixon regarding Brereton Diaz’s future. He stated that four Premier League clubs are keen on a late swoop for the Chile international, with Villa being one.

The report states that Steven Gerrard’s side are ‘toying’ with the idea of making a formal bid with just a few days remaining of the summer transfer window.

The Verdict: Needed?

Described as the ‘face of Pepsi’ in Chile due to massive marketing campaigns following his international success, Brereton Diaz can play anywhere across the front three but tends to operate more as a centre-forward.

Villa currently have Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins as senior centre-forward options, so the 23-year-old could be a shrewd signing who might also provide cover out wide, with Trezeguet, Bertrand Traore and Anwar El Ghazi all leaving the club this summer.

Gerrard also tinkers with 4-3-3 and 4-3-1-2 systems, so you’d like to think that Brereton Diaz could line out in either setup due to his versatility.