Unai Emery is keen to bring a new centre-back to Aston Villa before the transfer window shuts and the Spanish coach has his eye on Liverpool’s Joe Gomez.
The England international has been linked with a move away from Anfield all summer and according to talkSPORT, the defender was close to completing a £45m switch to Newcastle at the start of the window.
With the Magpies pursuing Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi, a move for Gomez is now unlikely but the report states that Aston Villa remain interested in the Liverpool star.
The Birmingham outfit are monitoring the Englishman’s situation at the Merseyside club after the 27-year-old was left out of Arne Slot’s squad for the Reds opening Premier League match of the season against Ipswich Town on Saturday.
This suggests that Gomez is likely to move on before the transfer window shuts but a transfer to Aston Villa depends on the departure of Diego Carlos, as the 31-year-old is a subject of interest for Fulham.
Joe Gomez would be a great signing for Aston Villa and Unai Emery
Liverpool’s willingness to sell Gomez is a surprise given the importance of the defender to Jurgen Klopp last season. The 27-year-old featured in 51 games of the Merseyside club and played in several different roles as he helped his German boss cope with numerous injuries across his backline.
Gomez is out of contract at Anfield in 2027, therefore, Liverpool are under no pressure to sell the centre-back which makes their decision to part ways with the player hard to understand.
The future of Sepp van den Berg is also up in the air and if the Reds sell both, that leaves Slot with only three centre-backs to choose from, with no sign of another arriving at Anfield anytime soon.