Aston Villa are set to rival West Ham in the race to sign Mainz defender Jeremiah St. Juste.

The Lowdown: St. Juste profiled

St. Juste, who stands at 6 foot 1, has been with the Bundesliga side since 2019. Primarily a centre-back, the Dutchman is quite versatile and can also play as a right-back or even as a holding midfielder. He is out of contract in 2023.

The 25-year-old has made 69 appearances for Mainz, but only nine of those have come during the current campaign due to a shoulder problem.

St. Juste recently returned to the bench and appears to be at the top of his game with a career-high Transfermarkt £14.4m valuation, with Villa now the latest side to show an interest in his services.

The Latest: Villa interest

Sports Witness relayed an update from Jornal de Noticias regarding St. Juste on Thursday.

They name-checked West Ham and Leicester City with an interest, but added that Villa have joined the race for the centre-back.

The Verdict: Villa need to act

The report from Portugal claims that Sporting CP look set to make a bid for St. Juste in the coming days, so Villa may need to be quick if they want to secure the Mainz defender’s services.

Centre-back additions look like they could be needed at Villa Park this summer, with Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings both potentially moving on.

That would leave Steven Gerrard with just Calum Chambers and Kortney Hause as senior options, so more than one defender would be needed.

St. Juste could be a solid replacement and would provide cover in two more areas, but as mentioned, Villa and Johan Lange may need to make their move fairly quickly.

In other news: Villa now edging closer to summer move for 'clinical' ace as Gerrard gets his way.