Steven Gerrard 'will be asking' Aston Villa to sign 'at least one of' Noni Madueke and Allan Saint-Maximin, sports journalist Pete O'Rourke says.

The lowdown

talkSPORT recently claimed that Gerrard had personally scouted Madueke during PSV Eindhoven's goalless draw with Leicester City at The King Power Stadium in the Europa Conference League.

The 20-year-old Englishman, a product of the Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur youth systems, is valued at £16.2million by Transfermarkt.

Meanwhile, The Daily Mail reported earlier this month that Villa were keeping tabs on Saint-Maximin ahead of the summer transfer window, with Newcastle apparently ready to listen to offers in the £50 million range.

Both players are left wingers, meaning they could be considered potential replacements for Leon Bailey.

Indeed, transfer insider Dean Jones has predicted that the Jamaican will move on in the summer, just a year after arriving at the club.

The latest

O'Rourke says that Steven Gerrard will urge the club to bankroll the prospective moves if the players are part of his vision.

The 41-year-old will expect backing as he looks to fulfil his lofty goals at Aston Villa, he told GiveMeSport.

"They have got big ambitions at Villa Park, spending on the likes of Lucas Digne and Philippe Coutinho," he said.

"So, if Steven Gerrard sees either of those players in his plans, he will be asking the club to maybe push forward and try and bring at least one of those players to Villa Park."

The verdict

Villa furnished Gerrard with three new outfield players in January - £27 million Digne, Coutinho (on loan) and Calum Chambers (free transfer).

But they still find themselves down in 15th in the Premier League, and so if they're to achieve the manager's stated goal of competing for Europe, considerable investment looks to be a necessity.

Madueke and Saint-Maximin look like exciting targets.

Between them, they've scored 14 goals and provided 12 assists in all competitions this season, and they both love to run with the ball and take on defenders. Saint-Maximin leads the Premier League for successful dribbles per 90 minutes (4.3), while Madueke (2.3) features in the Eredivisie's top five.

In other news, Villa could revisit a former target scouted by Dean Smith.