‘Wants him!’ - Aston Villa transfer claim made and Emiliano Martinez blow

Aston Villa had been looking at a strong top ten finish just a few weeks ago but a run of poor results has them currently sitting 12th in the Premier League.

When Steven Gerrard took over, Villa’s prospects looked hopeful but their second half of the season has proved almost as inconsistent as the first half.

Their last league win came in the middle of March when they beat Leeds United 3-0 but they have since seen four defeats, most lately a 4-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur at home.

With seven fixtures left in the season, Gerrard and his side will be hopeful of ending the season on a higher point than they currently find themselves.

The former Liverpool star has not been quiet about his hopes for a strong summer transfer window and will hope to maximise the months in order for Villa to become strong contenders for Europe next season.

As Gerrard looks ahead to the next season, here is all the latest news from Villa Park.

Liverpool’s target helps Gerrard confirm defender hopes

It has recently been reported that the Torino centre-back Gleison Bremer is attracting attention from Liverpool after a possible deal in January was explored.

The Italian news outlet TuttoMercato suggested that Klopp has been lining up a bid for the rising Serie A star who is fast becoming one of the best centre-backs in Europe.

The news of the interest in Bremer also comes after Joe Gomez was named as a ‘top target’ for Villa. It may very well work out that Bremer will come in to replace the outgoing Englishman.

Gomez’s first-team opportunities are limited at Anfield and are likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. He recently featured in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Watford, assisting Diogo Jota after he came on to replace the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold.

As Gerrard looks to firm up his options, the news of Liverpool’s interest in a versatile centre-back will offer up hope that they will be open to letting the 24-year-old Londoner go.

Villa likely to face competition from Serie A giants

It has been reported by Sport Witness and Juve Dipendenza that the Serie A side Juventus are eyeing up Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez.

The report says Juventus are ‘thinking without excessive haste and urgency’ about pursuing various goalkeeper targets to replace Wojciech Szczesny.

The Serie A giants are thought to view Martinez as a ‘reliable goalkeeper’ with ‘sure technical and character quality’. It is also suggested that Juventus are fans of the 29-year-old’s penalty abilities, which was shown throughout the Copa America and Villa career.

The Argentinian has however signed a new deal with Villa which would keep him thee until 2027 and said: “When I signed for Aston Villa, I had massive ambitions of being in Europe and being the best version of myself.

“The club opened a really good door for me. They made me a better goalkeeper, working with Neil Cutler. Christian Purslow, Johan Lange are really good people, really loyal and ambitious as well as the owners. Winning a major tournament for Argentina, obviously I thank Aston Villa as well.

“My boy loves Aston Villa!... I want to be in a Champions League final with Villa. I want to be at Wembley with Villa.”

Gerrard eyes up Borussia Monchengladbach defender

The Sky Germany Journalist Florian Plettenburg has taken to Twitter to say ‘Gerrard wants him!’

Matthias Ginter is soon to become a free agent at the end of this season and has previously stated he wishes to move away from his current club. The 28-year-old has 46 international caps for Germany, including World Cup success in 2014 and would offer a necessary barrel of experience for Villa.

Ginter is an extremely progressive defender and ranks within the top four per cent of Europe’s top five leagues centre backs for progressive passes per game. He has also recorded the most progressive carries of this season whilst playing in a back four.

If Villa were able to provide much needed cover for the German while he carried the ball forward, Gerrard would do very well to sign such a strong defensive player.