Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard is eyeing a move Liverpool defender Joe Gomez ahead of the January transfer window, according to The Sunday Mirror (via Birmingham Live).

The lowdown

The 24-year-old has found first team action hard to come by this season. He has started once in the Champions League and twice in the Carabao Cup but has yet to be selected for a Premier League starting XI in the current campaign (Transfermarkt).

In addition to Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip, new signing Ibrahima Konate appears to be above him in the Reds' centre-back pecking order at this moment in time as well, having started four top-flight matches.

Gomez, who is valued at £27m by Transfermarkt, is under contract at Anfield until 2024.

The latest

According to The Sunday Mirror (via Birmingham Live), a new defender is a 'priority' for Gerrard in January, with the new boss 'actively looking' at possible options.

Gomez is apparently one of the names to feature on the 41-year-old's shortlist, with the Villa boss potentially utilising his strong links with Liverpool.

The verdict

Gomez, who has been labelled 'world-class' by Reds team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold, would be quite a coup for Villa.

Perhaps his best form in a red shirt came during the first half of the 2018/19 campaign, when he and Virgil van Dijk played a key role in a mighty run of defensive form. In an 18-game stretch, the team conceded just nine goals and kept 10 clean sheets (via This Is Anfield).

Liverpool will be aware of the heights he can reach and perhaps envisage him as a long-term partner for Konate. However, even a loan move feels unlikely in light of last season's centre-back injury crisis at Anfield, so Gerrard might have to look elsewhere for winter defensive reinforcements.

In other news, Steven Gerrard is also lining up two other January transfers