Aston Villa are reportedly one of three clubs interested in securing the services of Burnley defender Nathan Collins.

What's the word?

That is according to a report from Alex Crook inside his transfer notebook, via talkSPORT.

The journalist stated that new Burnley manager Vincent Kompany faces a battle to keep hold of Nathan Collins, even after the departures of fellow defenders Ben Mee and James Tarkowski.

As per the report, the Republic of Ireland international is not short of offers to seal an immediate return to the Premier League, with the former Stoke City defender wanted by three clubs as detailed by Crook.

Besides Villa, it is said that Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers are monitoring the 21-year-old, with Kompany facing a potential shortage of defenders in his new role at Turf Moor.

Supporters surely ecstatic

Defence has been a big attribute in Gerrard's managerial career thus far, having set a new Scottish Premiership record of just 13 goals conceded in his title-winning season at Rangers.

He has not been able to translate that solidity to the Premier League as of yet, but then again he has not yet had a full season in charge at Villa, nor has he made his mark on the team in terms of signings until now.

Having endured an aggressive start to this summer's transfer window though, the 42-year-old has begun moulding the squad and has the opportunity to bring in a centre-back who brings something different to what new signing Diego Carlos offers.

In Collins, the manager has the chance to to bring in a seemingly old-fashioned defender with a style reminiscent of a centre-half from yesteryear who can provide competition at the back and also help to future-proof the squad, as can be seen through Jamie O'Hara's description of the Irishman as a "brick wall".

Despite relegation with Burnley, the 21-year-old enjoyed a positive season on a personal level and proved that he is a Premier League-quality defender. His numbers are unique considering his position, having averaged 0.92 shot-creating actions per game, whilst maintaining defensive solidity with his 2.59 blocks and 5.50 clearances per 90 minutes.

Collins does the basics extremely well, and considering his more physical adaptation of an archaic approach, he offers a quality option to Gerrard, who will be eager to improve on Villa's 54 goals conceded at an average of 1.4 per game - a return which leaves a lot of room for improvement.

If the 42-year-old can bring the no-nonsense Irish defender to Villa Park, it would surely delight many of the club's supporters.

In other news: Villa could sign Gerrard 2.0 in £14.4m-rated technician, supporters would love him