Arsenal interested in signing Aston Villa goalkeeper

Arsenal have identified Aston Villa's Tom Heaton as a potential candidate to fill the back-up goalkeeper role.

The Gunners parted ways with Emiliano Martinez to the Villans last summer and pursued Alex Runarsson as the replacement.

However, the ex-Dijon goalkeeper has failed to impress and he was guilty of a couple of blunders in the League quarter-final loss to Manchester City.

Hence, the club are already planning to sell him and they have earmarked Heaton as one of the candidates for the deputy role behind Bernd Leno.

Heaton has been a quality shot-stopper over the years, but he is currently the fourth-choice with Martinez, Jed Steer and Orjan Nyland ahead of him.

He has not played a single minute of football since his recovery from a shoulder injury sustained when he was the first-choice keeper.

He still has more than two-and-a-half years on his contract and the Villans are in a good position to command a reasonable sum.