Newcastle United to rival Aston Villa for Liverpool defender

Newcastle United are set to compete with Aston Villa in the race to sign Liverpool defender Joe Gomez this summer, The Athletic claims.

The Villans were keen on landing the England international last month, but Liverpool were reluctant to sanction his mid-season exit.

However, they could allow him to leave during the summer, and it appears the Villans could face stiff competition from Eddie Howe's side.

The Magpies were desperate to land a new centre-back last month, but were unsuccessful in pursuing any of their prime transfer targets.

They could not convince Sevilla to do business for Diego Carlos while it was the same case with Lille for Sven Botman despite a lucrative offer.

The Tyneside outfit are likely to return for both players in the summer, but they could also make an approach for out-of-favour Gomez.

Gomez was once regarded as a key player. He is now the fourth-choice centre-back behind Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate.