Journalist Josh Holland has delivered an intriguing claim regarding Aston Villa and a possible swoop for Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher this summer. 

The lowdown: Loan sensation

A product of the famed youth academy at Cobham, Gallagher has been plying his early trade as somewhat of an eternal loanee in recent seasons.

The 22-year-old has spent time at Swansea and West Brom before flourishing and enjoying a superb 2021/22 campaign at Crystal Palace that earned rich acclaim as well as senior England recognition.

Set to return to Chelsea ahead of pre-season, the long-term future of Gallagher remains under question and it's been suggested that Villa boss Steven Gerrard could be weighing up a move...

The latest: 'I could see...'

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Holland, who works as a Midlands Football Writer for Reach PLC, has claimed that a move to Villa would be a possibility for the four-cap England ace.

He said: “That’d be a move I could see. It probably won’t be a permanent deal, they’d have to settle for a loan move, but the logistics of it are whether (Steven) Gerrard and the Villa chiefs would want to loan a rival’s player, making him a better player and then in a year’s time be worse off without him.

“And Chelsea will be benefiting, so that’s one for Gerrard to decide, I’m sure.”

The verdict: Follow suit

Having watched the successes of the dynamic starlet whilst on loan in the Premier League previously, it's certainly an avenue that NSWE should be open to exploring for the upcoming 2022/23 campaign.

Backing up the signing of defensive-minded midfielder Boubacar Kamara with the arrival of a more attacking option in the form of Gallagher would see the Villa Park midfield department well-stocked for the season ahead.

Last term, the Englishman scored eight times and provided five assists in 39 appearances across all competitions at Palace, earning an impressive 7.08 Sofascore rating whilst winning 5.9 duels, making two tackles and completing 1.1 key passes on average per game, showcasing a workmanlike ability accompanied by impressive flair.

Despite the emergence of Jacob Ramsey last season, with the futures of Carney Chukwuemeka and Villans favourite John McGinn reportedly in doubt, adding Gallagher - who was recently branded 'absolutely relentless' in his style of pressing by football writer Mike Stavrou - to Gerrard's ranks even on a temporary basis has to be regarded as a smart piece of business.