Report: Aston Villa set their sights on 'exceptional' £45m Liverpool player

Aston Villa and Liverpool have had contrasting summers on the transfer front.

The Villans have been one of the busiest clubs in Europe, bringing in eight new players over the past two months.

Meanwhile, the Reds are yet to get off the mark in the transfer window, and haven’t been overly busy in terms of outgoings either.

Now, with just three weeks left before the transfer window shuts, both Aston Villa and Liverpool are likely to step up their activities.

Villans defender Diego Carlos is being linked with a move to Fulham, and if he leaves, they’ll be looking to bring in a replacement.

According to The Telegraph, that replacement could be an “exceptional” defender from Liverpool.

READ MORE: Paul Scholes has big question marks over one Aston Villa signing this summer

Aston Villa set sights on Liverpool ace Joe Gomez

The player in question is Joe Gomez, whose future at Anfield appears to be uncertain at present.

Earlier this week, Sky Sports claimed that Liverpool are open to offers for the England international to make a permanent move away.

However, Fabrizio Romano has since reported that neither the Reds nor Gomez are pushing for a move.

As for Villa, The Telegraph says they will ‘almost certainly enter the market for a defender should Carlos leave’.

They are said to have number of potential targets, including Liverpool’s Gomez and Dutch defender Lutsharel Geertruida.

Gomez a good shout for Villa as Liverpool in line for huge profit

Gomez was said to be offered as part of negotiations with Newcastle United over Anthony Gordon earlier this summer.

Liverpool were said to have valued the 26-year-old at around £45million at the time.

Gomez would certainly be a good shout for Villa. He’s a high-quality defender in his prime, is Premier League-proven, and is versatile.

The Villans have gone from strength to strength under Emery, and the Liverpool man would be a solid addition to his ranks.

Gomez shone last season, and Jurgen Klopp branded him as ‘exceptional’ and a ‘life-saver’ after seeing how well he filled in when other players were unavailable.

Should Liverpool manage to sell Gomez for £45million, it would give them a huge £41.5million profit.

The Reds initially signed the Londoner from Charlton Athletic for just £3.5million back in June 2015.