Aston Villa have been dealt another huge transfer blow after former Chelsea player and now Derby County boss Frank Lampard confirmed (as per SkySports) both Villa and Derby will miss out on Ethan Ampadu in the current transfer window.

The teenager, who signed a permanent contract at Stamford Bridge in 2017, had been on the radar of a few Championship clubs with Villa and Derby trying to use their Chelsea connections to secure his services.

But according to the Birmingham Live, Villa will have to continue to make use of James Chester and Axel Tuanzebe for time being, unless the club shifts its focus to a different centre-back before the end of the month.

Villa manager Dean Smith, however, has been feeling the pressure defensively in recent weeks with Tuanzebe ruled out with injury.

The report indicated that Lampard heard the Blues will fight off any offers for Ampadu in the transfer market as they continue their fight to finish in the top four of the Premier League and secure a spot in next season's Champions League.

The Welsh international made his first appearance of the season at the end of November in a Europa League clash with PAOK before starting in the midfield in Saturday's FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest.

The news have added to a tough start to the new year for Villa, who suffered a 3-0 loss against Aston Villa on Saturday and the fact that they could soon be without their main striker, Tammy Abraham, who is nearing a move to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Smith and the Villa ownership will have to stitch a plan together to not only find a replacement for Abraham, but also get reinforcements in defence, otherwise they might continue their current downfall on the Championship table.