Aston Villa are reportedly still interested in signing Joe Gomez from Liverpool.
That’s according to The Athletic today. The report claims that Villa ‘still like’ the 24-year-old who hasn’t featured much for The Reds this season.
Gomez was rumoured to be on the way out of Liverpool in January (GiveMeSport). The defender has only started once in the Premier League all season.
But Jurgen Klopp ruled out any move as Gomez was still in his plans for the rest of the campaign.
“I don’t have any plans to give anybody on loan in the winter,” Klopp said via liverpoolfc.com in December.
“So I will not be the driving force, let me say it like this. Nobody came to me and asked if they could go somewhere.”
Gomez subsequently stayed at the club. But with game-time hard to come by, the rumours haven’t gone away.
Gerrard looks to Liverpool
Although the likes of Real Madrid were reported to be ‘monitoring’ Gomez’s situation (BBC Sport), Villa have been cited as a likely destination before.
The Athletic reported towards the end of February that Steven Gerrard’s side would be ‘at the front of the queue’ for Gomez in the summer.
Liverpool would clearly prefer to hold onto Gomez. Klopp has previously called him ‘sensational’ via liverpoolfc.com. But as he has now slipped to fourth choice centre-back, it may make sense for The Reds to look to cash in.
Given his age, experience and quality, he could command a decent fee for Liverpool to reinvest in a replacement.
A win-win solution
Alternatively, if Liverpool still expect him to play a big part in the future, a loan deal could make the most sense.
As his contract is due to expire in 2024, it could be prudent for Liverpool to tie him down to a new deal, before sending him out temporarily.
If that is the plan, Villa under Gerrard would look like a good option.
The Liverpool legend has big plans for the club. They have shown ambition in the transfer market by bringing in Philippe Coutinho.
Gomez could get first-team action and Villa would be getting a quality player for a season. The player could send a reminder of his qualities and return to Liverpool ready to stake a claim as a first-choice centre-back.
Whatever happens, it looks like this story isn’t going away.
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