Interest in Aston Villa centre-back Tyrone Mings is growing ahead of the January transfer window.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by Birmingham Live, who claimed that Newcastle United are plotting a move for the 28-year-old in the upcoming winter market, with Eddie Howe having identified the defender as one of his primary transfer targets in a bid to strengthen his leaky Magpies backline.

However, the report added that, following Steven Gerrard's recent appointment as the new manager at Villa Park, it would seem unlikely the 41-year-old will look to cash in on the England international in the January transfer window.

Major error

Unlikely as it seems that Gerrard would cash in on the Aston Villa captain so soon after his arrival, it must nevertheless be said that selling Mings would be a major mistake on the 41-year-old's part, no matter how enticing a potential big-money offer from Newcastle may be.

Indeed, the 28-year-old has become a highly important part of the Villa side since joining them back in 2019, with his overall level of performance last season highlighting just how crucial a player the centre-back is to the Midlanders.

Over his 36 Premier League appearances last season, the £27m-rated defender helped his side to keep a whopping 14 clean sheets, as well as making 1.1 interceptions, 0.9 tackles and 4.7 clearances and winning 4.1 duels per game.

The player who Gareth Southgate dubbed a "leader" also impressed going forwards, scoring twice and registering two assists, as well as taking 0.5 shots and making 0.2 key passes per fixture in 2020/21.

These returns saw the £80k-per-week defender earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.95, ranking him as Villa's ninth-best performer in the top flight of English football last season.

As such, considering that Aston Villa have already conceded 20 goals in the league this term, parting with a player who is undoubtedly one of the club's best centre-backs in January would seem to be a grave error.

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