Aston Villa have been handed a boost in their hunt for a new centre-back, with Burnley defender James Tarkowski now eyed as a potential signing.

What's the word?

That is according to the Daily Telegraph's John Percy, who claimed that Steven Gerrard is indeed in the market for a new centre-back and that this was always the case even before Ezri Konsa's season-ending injury.

Taking to Twitter, the journalist said: "Steven Gerrard wants to sign a new centre-back this summer (this was the plan before Ezri Konsa’s injury, which Villa hope is not as bad as first feared). Burnley’s James Tarkowski is a free agent this summer and has been discussed, but options on the position are open"

Birmingham Mail have also reported of Villa's prospects of signing Tarkowski and relayed the interest of several other Premier League clubs who are said to be interested in securing the services of the 29-year-old.

Along with Gerrard's side, the trio of Everton, West Ham and Leicester City are reported to have an interest in the Burnley captain.

Supporters will be buzzing

Despite finding themselves in a relegation scrap, Burnley's defence has not been too bad at all, having conceded 51 goals in 37 games. That is the same amount as Villa and better than the likes of Manchester United, Leicester City and Newcastle United, to name a few.

Therefore, nabbing the captain and leader of a team who are defensively competent bodes well from a Villa perspective.

Having operated in an old-fashioned 4-4-2 setup under Sean Dyche for the majority of his Burnley career, Tarkowski is the sort of defender that you might expect to captain such a team.

The 29-year-old's statistics over the past year reflect the ideology in which he has been schooled, with his match average of 1.48 tackles in the defensive third demonstrating his consistent involvement in a low-block, and his 6.39 clearances per 90 reminiscent of a centre-back from yesteryear.

It couldn't hurt to bring in a leader with almost 200 games' worth of Premier League experience, especially when Villa have the opportunity to sign him on a free transfer. The club's supporters would surely be buzzing if Tarkowski were to swap one claret-and-blue outfit for another, forming an uncompromising partnership with the stylistically similar Tyrone Mings.

In other news: AVFC eye summer move for "exceptional" £50m brute, he's their next Idrissa Gueye