Aston Villa will be looking to end another January transfer window with a healthy number of new additions to their squad after bringing in the likes of Calum Chambers and Lucas Digne on permanent deals as well as loans for Philippe Coutinho and Robin Olsen.

With deadline day now underway, it seems as though the Midlands club may have a challenge on their hands to keep hold of one of their current players rather than looking at bringing any more new ones in.

What's the news?

According to a recent report from The Athletic, Newcastle United are keen on signing Villa left-back Matt Targett before the January transfer window deadline.

Villa signed the full-back during the 2019 summer transfer window from fellow Premier League side Southampton in a deal worth a reported fee of around £11m.

Gerrard's big mistake

Since then, the 26-year-old has gone on to make 89 appearances for the Midlands club across all competitions, scoring three goals and providing five assists along the way, highlighting how much of a key figure he has been for the Villans.

However, with the club bringing in Digne from Everton earlier this month for £25m, who has since taken Targett's place in the team with two league starts under his belt already, it's easy to see why the Englishman has now been linked with a late move away from Villa Park.

While a move away from Villa could be beneficial for Targett if he would be guaranteed regular game-time, it would be a calamity for the club to let him go halfway through the season in case Digne were to get injured and they ended up needing to rely on the £15.3m-rated defender to fill in.

Even though he may have been demoted to being Digne's backup in recent weeks, it's safe to say that Villa manager Steven Gerrard would still very much rather have Targett remain in his squad for the remainder of the season based on his useful defensive attributes. It would be a big mistake to let the 26-year-old leave and join another Premier League club, especially if Villa end up needing him at any point.

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