Steven Gerrard is shopping in familiar territory as Aston Villa boss after contacting Atletico Madrid star Luis Suarez to discuss a transfer, Gerard Romero reports on his Twitch channel.
The Villans manager has personally contacted his former Liverpool teammate to discuss a return to the Premier League in January. He has already brought one former Anfield star to Villa Park this month in loaning Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona with a £33m buy clause.
Suarez may now hit the mid-season market as his Colchoneros contract will expire in June. Per Marca, the Uruguayan had prioritised new terms at the La Liga title-holders as he feels he can still perform at the highest level. But the forward is now giving Villa serious thought.
Aston Villa have made Suarez an offer to leave Atletico Madrid and join Gerrard during the January transfer window. The 34-year-old is now studying the move, amid the uncertainty around his future in Diego Simone’s side two-years after joining from Barcelona for £5.5m.
He has also rejected offers from Brazilian sides Palmeiras, Corinthians and Atletico Mineiro, plus an unnamed Arabian club, to focus on Gerrard’s interest. But leaving Madrid will see Suarez walk away before Atletico’s Champions League last 16 tie with Manchester United.
Gerrard full of praise for Aston Villa transfer target Suarez in past
Gerrard will know he can rely on Suarez to bolster Aston Villa’s attack in a January transfer from Atletico Madrid. The 128-cap striker hit 82 goals and offered 59 assists in 133 games for Liverpool between joining from Ajax for £22.5m in 2011 and his £75m exit in 2014.
Suarez also made 95 of his Reds appearances with Gerrard on the pitch, to combine for 19 goals. The Aston Villa boss also gushed with praise from the off for what Suarez offered.
“Luis is dynamite,” Gerrard told the Liverpool Echo. “He’s been magic for us so far. If he can maintain his form, I think we’ve got a star on our hands. He’s so direct and has the desire and bottle to get into the box ahead of the defender. He must be a nightmare to mark.
“I’m itching to get out there alongside him because every time I watch him, he excites me. He looks like he’s going to create something, if not score.
“It’s early days and we can’t get too carried away by putting too much pressure on him. But if he can keep producing those kinds of performances, he will be a fantastic signing.”
Suarez has scored nine goals and assisted twice in 27 games for Atletico Madrid so far this season. Meanwhile, Ollie Watkins is Aston Villa’s top-scorer with five goals in 18 games in all competitions. He marginally eclipses £25m summer signing Danny Ings, who has four.
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