If Kyle Bartley doesn’t join, Leeds United should get Aston Villa man

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Should Leeds United enquire about the Aston Villa man?

Aston Villa are getting ready to celebrate the arrival of John Terry after ESPN reported that the Premier League legend is nearing a move to Villa Park.

Steve Bruce is unlikely to make a bigger signing than the 36-year-old this summer but his arrival might push one man toward the exit door – Nathan Baker.

The 26-year-old was excellent alongside James Chester last season, but if any centre-back makes way for Terry it will be Baker – and Leeds United should be first in line.

Leeds will need another centre-back to partner Pontus Jansson in the heart of their defence next season. Ideally it would be Kyle Bartley, but a £7.5 million price-tag (as reported by the print edition of The Sunday People on June 18) is the biggest deterrent in bringing the Swansea City man back to Elland Road on a permanent basis.

Instead, the Whites must explore other options, and Baker would be a fine addition.

With 67 Championship starts under his belt over the past two seasons, the Aston Villa man, who spent the 2015-16 campaign on loan at Bristol City, knows the division and such familiarity can only be a good thing as United look to move back to the Premier League.

At 6’2, Baker is a commanding physical presence and only won 42 aerial challenges less than Bartley last season – despite playing 1,500 minutes, the equivalent of 16 matches, less.

By the same token, the Swansea man managed only 24 more effective headed clearances.

Baker, whose contract expires in two years, might not love the idea of leaving Aston Villa, having been a Villan since he was 14, but he won’t want to be sitting on a bench at his age and that’s very much the reality if Terry joins.

The West Midlands side also won’t want to strengthen a potential rival for promotion, but an offer from Leeds would at least give them something to ponder.