Champions League club ask about Liverpool stalwart; £26m domino would need to fall first

One club’s efforts to raid Liverpool for a long-serving Anfield stalwart have reportedly stepped up a gear.

Aston Villa’s interest in Joe Gomez has now manifested itself in the form of an enquiry to Anfield chiefs regarding the 27-year-old.

The defender is supposedly willing to relocate to the Midlands in order to secure a regular starting berth, something that he’s deemed unlikely to receive under Arne Slot. The Reds would be prepared to sell the England international if their £40m-£45m price tag is met.

In order for Unai Emery’s side to proceed, though, they would first need to sell Diego Carlos, who was brought to Villa Park by Steven Gerrard two years ago for £26m.

A move to Villa would enable Gomez to play Champions League football for another season, with the Midlanders qualifying for the tournament after finishing fourth in the Premier League last term.

In our view, Liverpool could regret selling such a valuable player – the longest-serving member of the current squad – to a direct rival when he’s in the prime years of his career, particularly one who’s proven capable of fulfilling numerous roles across the backline.

However, the 27-year-old’s omission from the matchday squad against Ipswich last weekend was telling, and if Slot doesn’t envisage him being part of his plans at Anfield, it’d be hard to blame the defender for desiring a move elsewhere.

If Gomez is to be sold, we’d hope that Richard Hughes has a replacement lined up to come straight in. There have been ongoing transfer links with centre-backs such as Goncalo Inacio and Piero Hincapie, although those two names have done the rounds on the rumour mill for some time without anything concrete developing.

Liverpool fans may well be hoping that Villa are unable to offload Carlos so that they’re duly prevented from meeting the Reds’ asking price for the England international.