Aston Villa want West Brom’s Jake Livermore, is Steve Bruce’s priority clear?

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West Brom’s relegation could see them lose Jake Livermore – but will he swap The Hawthorns for Championship promotion hopefulls Aston Villa?

Steve Bruce was a massive fan of Jake Livermore during their time together at Hull City so it should surprise no one that he wants to bring the England international to Aston Villa should they earn promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs.

The Sun claims that Livermore is at the top of Bruce’s summer wishlist with Villa well-placed to swap divisions with the 28-year-old’s current club, West Brom.

It is understood that The Baggies will need to trim their squad this summer and raise funds by selling a couple of key players and could be willing to sell Livermore for around the £10 million they paid Hull in January 2017.

This comes just four days after The World Game reported that Aston Villa were also planning a move for QPR’s Australian playmaker Massimo Luongo should they escape the clutches of the Championship this season.

So it’s pretty clear which position Bruce is hoping to strengthen – the centre of his midfield. But this may come as a shock, given that the engine room is arguably the strongest area of Villa’s squad with Mile Jedinak, Connor Hourihane, Henri Lansbury, Birkir Bjarnason and Glenn Whelan all fighting for a place.

Aston Villa could probably do with a left-back, a centre-half and most definitely a striker if they reach the promised land. But, for now, Livermore and Luongo look to be the priorities.