Aston Villa make first move to sign “highly successful” £85,000-a-week UCL winner

After an excellent summer transfer window, Aston Villa could end up on a high note following their first move to sign Champions League winner Unai Emery.

Aston Villa transfer news

The Villans have made good use of their Champions League status this summer, signing the likes of Amadou Onana and Ian Maatsen among others to cushion the blow caused by the departures of Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby.

So far, Aston Villa have picked up where they left off last time out, with a late win over West Ham United taking them through before an unfortunate defeat against Arsenal despite a strong display full of guilty chances.

That said, with the transfer window just days away, those in the Midlands can still close out a summer to remember between the likes of Raheem Sterling and another Premier League star.

Sterling would be an immediate replacement for Diaby and would add valuable Champions League experience to Emery's squad, but it remains to be seen whether they will take the Chelsea player. Instead, it is reported that they have turned their attention to another top-six player.

According to TeamTalk's Rudy Galetti, Aston Villa have approached Liverpool for the first time about signing Joe Gomez ahead of Friday's deadline. The defender has reportedly been left out of the Reds' squad to face Ipswich Town on the opening day due to his desire to travel for extra time.

Back in Arne Slot's side with their 2-0 win over Brentford, however, that search may have come to an end for now. Of course, anything could change in the final days of the window, and Gomez is the man to succeed at Villa Park, but the current signs point to a stay at Anfield for the 2019 Champions League winner.

Gomez could be one to look beyond this summer, especially if links to a move to Aston Villa continue.

“The best” Gomez will do under Emery

Gomez has recently been the target of incredible quality within Liverpool's backline, with Virgil van Dijk forming quite the partnership with Iraima Konate and Jarell Quansah who are emerging to set a course for Anfield stardom. Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson remain key to the way the Reds play, even under Slot, leaving Gomez to watch from the sidelines.

Seemingly ready to be the main man elsewhere, Villa would be the perfect next step for the England international. Now in the Champions League, the Villans need all the depth they can get from the versatile Gomez.

While fighting for a place ahead of Ezri Konsa or Pau Torres at centre-back, Gomez can provide a similar challenge to Matty Cash at right-back and even Maatsen and Lucas Digne at left-back. Quite simply, the 27-year-old would be worth his reported £85,000-a-week wages as a Champions League winner who can play anywhere at the back, four or five.

The versatile full-back has a wealth of experience to his name and has been held in high esteem for a number of years, including by former England manager Gareth Southgate, who told The Independent early in his Three Lions career: “I think his decision-making was outstanding. We know his athleticism is really helpful but to see his composure in the face of such a high-level move, dealing with a pass that he had to learn… it's great.”