Aston Villa appear to be closing in on signing Marseille defender Duje Caleta-Car.

The Lowdown: Diego Carlos injury

Steven Gerrard was handed a nightmare injury blow over the weekend, with summer signing Diego Carlos rupturing his Achilles tendon in the 2-1 win against Everton.

Villa have confirmed that the Brazilian will require surgery, with reports claiming the defender is set to be sidelined for much of the season.

It appears that NSWE want to act fast over a potential replacement and it looks as if Caleta-Car, who has been linked with a move to Villa Park in recent months, could become the club’s sixth signing of the summer.

The Latest: Packing his bags

So Foot shared a story shortly after the news broke on Carlos on Monday, name-checking Caleta-Car.

They were told that the Croatia international ‘has already packed his bags to join his mate Boubacar Kamara’ in the Midlands.

The Verdict: Good news

It’s good to see that the club are willing to act quickly in the market following Carlos’ serious injury, and Caleta-Car could be a shrewd replacement if he comes in.

The 25-year-old is into the final 12 months of his Marseille contract and shares the same agency as five Villa players, so that could make talks fairly straightforward over a deal.

Dubbed an 'excellent player' by talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook, Caleta-Car has plenty of experience in Ligue 1 and the Austrian Bundesliga, so he should be able to provide strong competition for Gerrard’s available centre-backs.