According to Alan Nixon of The Sun, Aston Villa are ‘very keen’ on Liam Lindsay. When the season comes to a close in May, Dean Smith will lose Tyrone Mings and Axel Tuanzebe to parent clubs Bournemouth and Manchester United respectively, so he’ll need a replacement centre-back.
Lindsay has made 79 appearances in all competitions for Barnsley since joining the side from Partick Thistle in 2017. The 23-year-old has been a regular in defence this season (35 appearances) and is highly-rated as a result of his impressive performances, but Villa will have their eye on more players over the summer.
Smith has a fervent need for a centre-back as he’ll be left with only Tommy Elphick and James Chester in the coming months. Should Kortney Hause continue to impress on loan, Villa will trigger his buying option to turn the move permanent but a fourth defender might be lined up.
It’s hard to see the Midlands outfit setting their stall out early to sign Lindsay when they don’t know where their future lies. Villa are still on the hunt for promotion from the Championship and would surely target a bigger and better name if they were successful.
Smith’s men have the third-worst defensive record in the Championship, so they’d surely be found out in the Premier League if they didn’t strengthen adequately enough.
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