Villa are reportedly after Gibson, but Leeds need a centre-back.
Aston Villa are reportedly interested in signing Burnley defender Ben Gibson on a deal that would see him initially move to Villa Park on loan before making it permanent in the summer – but Leeds United should rival Dean Smith’s side.
Sky Sports claim Villa have tabled the loan-to-buy deal to sign the 26-year-old centre-back, who has failed to impress at Turf Moor since leaving boyhood club Middlesbrough for a fee believed to be in the region of £12million.
A powerful centre-back, Gibson was forced to undergo an operation on his hernia at the start of the season and that has limited the defender to just five appearances for Sean Dyche’s side.
It is somewhat of a fall from grace for Gibson, who was part of England’s squad for the 2018 World Cup qualifier that beat Lithuania back in March 2017.
Now, Villa want to sign Gibson and help the defender get back to his best form despite already signing Kourtney Hause from Wolverhampton Wanderers on loan until the end of the season.
But Leeds also need a centre-back and Gibson would be perfect for the Whites. Liam Cooper and Pontus Jansson remain the only recognised, senior centre-backs the club have to offer.
Midfielder Kalvin Phillips, youngster Aapo Halme and right-backs Gaetano Berardi and Luke Ayling have also played in the middle of the defence. But if Leeds are to gain promotion, another central defender is required.
Gibson has enormous experience in the Championship. He has clocked up 148 second-tier appearances for Middlesbrough, while also helping the Teesside club gain promotion to the Premier League in 2015-16.
Adding Gibson to the Whites squad would finally fill a long-standing hole at the heart of the Leeds defence and give Marcelo Bielsa another much-needed tool in the fight for Premier League promotion.
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