Aston Villa have been dealt a blow to their hopes of securing a deadline day transfer deal for Marseille defender Duje Caleta-Car.

What's the news?

According to a recent report from the Daily Mail, Villa were in the mix alongside fellow Premier League side, Southampton, to land a late summer transfer deal for the centre-back.

However, it has now been reported by Sky Sports that the defender is having a medical with the south coast club.

The centre-back joined the French club during the 2018 summer transfer window and has since gone on to make 130 appearances for them across all competitions, during which he has chipped in with five goals and three assists.

Last season saw the 25-year-old make 26 league appearances for Marseille, finding himself on the scoresheet on two occasions.

A big blow for Gerrard

Now that he is reportedly having a medical with Southampton, seeing him join Ralph Hasenhuttl's side would surely be a big blow for the Villans and Gerrard, who has shared his concern over the possibility of getting the sack following Villa's poor results in the league so far this season.

Indeed, the Croat would have been a valuable addition to their crumbling ranks this term, as the defensive talent demonstrated solidity last term. At Marseille, there was only one player who managed to tackle a higher percentage of dribblers tackled than him (64.7%), as his reading of the game proved to be outstanding.

Additionally, only two players made more clearances than Caleta-Car (63), further highlighting how tough he is at the back.

Villa not only have Diego Carlos out injured at the moment, but also rank in the bottom half of the table for the percentage of dribblers they've tackled (39.4%) throughout the season so far. Meanwhile, there only being four clubs that have made fewer clearances than Steven Gerrard's side (87), so it's safe to say that the Marseille star would be a big help for them defensively.

Even though the transfer deadline is only a few hours away, Villa already look like they're going to add at least one defender before then in the shape of Jan Bednarek. Though, that doesn't make this blow any less frustrating.