Aston Villa will reportedly monitor Atletico Madrid striker Luis Suarez this summer with manager Steven Gerrard keen to reunite with his former Liverpool teammate.

What's the story?

According to The Athletic's Villa correspondent Gregg Evans, Gerrard will monitor Suarez's situation in the summer with the 35-year-old set to depart the reigning La Liga champions.

The Uruguayan striker's contract with Atletico expires at the end of June and will be available to join a new suitor on a free transfer, with Villa amongst those interested.

Villa must sign Suarez

To have already signed Barcelona's Philippe Coutinho on loan and now be linked with a possible move for Luis Suarez, we are certainly in the midst of exciting times at Aston Villa.

Of course, the Gerrard factor is a major contributor with the Villa boss Liverpool captain when both Suarez and Coutinho were at Anfield.

Although Coutinho is an exceptional player, the 35-year-old is certainly of a greater pedigree and excitement than the Brazilian, with the striker netting 435 goals in 689 appearances during his club career whilst also winning a plethora of major honours, including the Champions League.

Having left Liverpool in 2014 to join Barcelona, where Suarez scored 195 goals and registered 113 assists in 283 appearances, the veteran striker now finds himself in his second season at Atletico Madrid, having won La Liga with Diego Simeone's side last season.

Last term saw the Uruguayan score 21 goals in 32 league matches during Atletico's title-winning campaign, although this season hasn't been as straightforward.

In 36 appearances across all competitions, Suarez has found the back of the net on 12 occasions, but the 35-year-old is starting to see game time start to decrease.

Simeone didn't put the striker on the pitch at all for their Champions League draw against Manchester United in the Champions League whilst racking up just 55 minutes of football as a substitute in Atletico's last three league games.

With his spell in Madrid approaching its final months, a return to the Premier League for Suarez could be a shrewd move, with the 35-year-old a cult hero for Liverpool.

In fact, former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers had plenty of praise for the Uruguayan, saying: “For him not to be in the top three of the Ballon d’Or was incredible.

"He left Liverpool as a world-class player and he’s gone into a Barcelona team that was already up there and made them better. Playing with that level of players as well has obviously made him a better player. He’s still young enough to win that accolade but he’s certainly up there with the best.”

In terms of Aston Villa's current options, none have scored more frequently this season than Suarez with Ollie Watkins scoring seven goals in 25 matches whilst Danny Ings has five goals in 22 appearances this term.

However, with Suarez 35 years old, how long he'd be able to last at Villa Park and how regularly the striker would be able to play would certainly be in question.

If the opportunity to sign the striker arises though, Gerrard and co. must pounce on it, given the Uruguayan's pedigree and experience.

In other news: Gregg Evans drops behind-the-scenes Villa update which will have many Villa fans sweating