Aston Villa are determined to sign Joe Gomez from Liverpool before the end of the January transfer window, according to Football Insider.
The lowdown
The 24-year-old finds himself fourth in the Reds' centre-back pecking order following the arrival of Ibrahima Konate last summer. He has played just 12 minutes of Premier League football so far this season and only started four games in all competitions.
The Londoner's trophy haul at Anfield includes the 2019/20 Premier League title and the previous year's UEFA Champions League.
Gomez's £75,000-per-week contract runs until June 2024 and he is valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt. Notably, he is represented by the same agency as Villa captain Tyrone Mings.
The latest
Football Insider claimed that Villa have 'not given up hope' of landing Gomez before next Monday's transfer deadline.
The Midlands club enquired about the English defender earlier this month, with Gerrard intent upon strengthening his backline, and a Villa source has now told the publication that they plan to make 'another move' for the player this week.
Gerrard is described as a 'huge admirer' of the 24-year-old and remains optimistic that a deal can be done in the next seven days.
The verdict
A previous report from The Athletic suggested that Gomez 'would not be leaving Anfield this month', but significantly Football Insider claimed here that Liverpool are 'likely to offload one senior centre-back' in the next week.
The expectation has been that Nat Phillips will leave, but the Reds are struggling to find a suitor who will meet their asking price of him. That only adds to the 'uncertainty' around Gomez's future.
Perhaps there's a scenario here where Liverpool allow the ex-Charlton defender to join Villa on loan for the remainder of the season, as Jurgen Klopp might recognise the benefits of the defender consistently starting Premier League matches.
It could help him to regain maximum sharpness after he missed most of the 2020/21 season with a serious knee injury, while also giving Villa a much-needed boost to their centre-back options for the remainder of this campaign.
In other news, many Villa fans reacted to links with this Ligue 1 beast