Kortney Hause is hoping to leave Aston Villa this summer, according to a report from The Daily Mail.

The lowdown

The 26-year-old was apparently set to secure a move to Watford in January before it fell through.

That would have brought an end to a spell at Villa which officially started in July 2019, when he made a £3m move from local rivals Wolves following a successful loan spell.

The centre-back has made 55 appearances for the club but has been on the sidelines since March, when he sustained an abdominal injury.

Hause's £80,000-per-week contract runs until the summer of 2025 and he is now valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt.

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The latest

The Daily Mail journalists Simon Jones and Lee Davey have reported that Hause is 'keen for a fresh start' over the summer.

The Villa centre-back has 'struggled for gametime' under Gerrard and wants to play more regularly elsewhere.

The verdict

This news isn't particularly surprising, as Gerrard was snubbing Hause even before the 26-year-old picked up his injury.

The defender had been an unused substitute in five consecutive games and hadn't started since the 2-1 defeat at Brentford in early January, when Tyrone Mings was suspended. Tellingly, just under a third of Hause's 575 minutes of playing time this season came in the first two rounds of the Carabao Cup.

Nonetheless, there are no doubt some Villa supporters who will be sad to see him go. Journalist Patrick Rowe has described him as an 'assured' defender who 'dominates' players physically and possesses plenty of 'pace'.

Alas, it now seems as if that pace will be put to good use by somebody other than Villa by the start of next season.

In other news, Villa have been linked with this midfielder