There has been an update regarding Aston Villa's reported interest in veteran striker Luis Suarez...

What's the word?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook has revealed that the Midlands club are not pursuing a deal for the Uruguay international, despite having been heavily linked with a move for the 35-year-old earlier in the transfer window.

The transfer insider stated: “I do know that one or two superstar names have been mentioned. Luis Suárez is of no interest to Aston Villa.

“Signing Luis Suárez is obviously a lazy link there between Gerrard and Suárez, but I’m told that’s not one that they’re exploring.”

The 35-year-old - who is currently a free agent following his departure from La Liga giants Atletico Madrid - had played alongside Villa boss Steven Gerrard at Liverpool, with the Englishman believed to be keen on a reunion with his former team-mate this summer.

However, it would appear that no move to the English Midlands is on the cards, amid reports that the 132-cap superstar is on his way to Argentine outfit River Plate.

Supporters gutted

While signing a player who is no longer at his peak may not have been a wholly attractive prospect anyway, in the case of Suarez it would appear that he still has plenty to offer as an attacking force, even if he may not be the dynamic, prolific machine who previously dazzled the Premier League during his time at Anfield.

Plucked from Ajax on deadline day in January 2011 - alongside the more high profile capture of £35m man Andy Carroll - the one-time Groningen star went on to quickly assume talismanic status on Merseyside, eventually netting 82 goals and providing 46 assists in 133 games for the Reds in all competitions.

That form unsurprisingly caught the attention of Barcelona, with the sometimes controversial figure making the switch in the summer of 2014. He went on to win a plethora of major honours at Camp Nou and scored a quite remarkable tally of 194 goals, with a further 113 assists in just 281 games.

Having been deemed over the hill by former boss Ronald Koeman in 2020, the £7.2m-rated hotshot went on to prove the doubters wrong by firing Atletico to the title in his debut campaign at the Wanda Metropolitano, scoring 21 league goals in what was a truly blistering season in the Spanish capital.

Even last term, while his role may have been somewhat reduced - making just 20 starts from his 35 league outings - the £263k-per-week brute still plundered an impressive 11 goals in La Liga, with his total haul in all competitions standing at 13 goals.

That tally may have been far from his best for a season, although it still saw him outscore any member of the current Villa squad, with Ollie Watkins having led the way during the 2021/22 campaign with 11 goals - all of which came in the Premier League.

The standard of the two leagues may be different, although Suarez would seemingly have still been able to pose an attacking threat for Gerrard's side, with the penalty box poacher having been one of the most ruthless finishers in Europe over the last decade or so.

As it is, it looks as if that quality will be heading elsewhere, with Villans surely gutted not to see another marquee name walk through the door this summer.

AND in other news, Lange eyeing Villa move for £30m “goalscoring machine”, he’d be their own Darwin Nunez