Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard could be set to face a crisis this summer, with a number of his first-team players and back-up options being linked with moves away from the club at the end of the season.

England international Ollie Watkins has been the subject of interest from Arsenal, who are also keen on Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz - along with Newcastle and Tottenham.

Meanwhile, hot prospect Carney Chukwuemeka has been identified by Borussia Dortmund as their 'next Jude Bellingham' - and he might not be the only Villa asset that could be heading overseas in the upcoming transfer window.

What's the news?

According to journalist Pete O'Rourke, Matty Cash is on La Liga giants Atletico Madrid's shopping list this summer, and they are very keen on taking him from the Midlands to the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.

“The interest from Atletico Madrid is serious," said O'Rourke, speaking to GIVEMESPORT. "He is among their top targets to fill the void left by Kieran Trippier’s departure to Newcastle.”

Fabrizio Romano had previously suggested that the Poland international was a transfer target of Diego Simeone on the Here We Go podcast, and now the chances of Villa being able to persuade Cash into staying could be getting slimmer and slimmer, much to fans' frustrations.

Disaster in-waiting

Cash's progress as a right-back has been nothing short of exceptional after signing for the club from Nottingham Forest back in 2020 for £14.18m. Thus, O'Rourke's update will likely scare supporters.

Since making the move, he has made 59 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring three and assisting six, with all of his goals coming in the Premier League this season, as well as three of the assists.

Averaging a 6.98 match rating according to SofaScore in the league, only John McGinn and Philippe Coutinho have performed at a higher level in that respect for the club, and Cash has been a vital part of Gerrard's opening stage of his rebuild, helping the club to ninth in the table.

It isn't just his attacking threat that has caught the eye though, as he ranks among full-backs in Europe's top five leagues and continental competitions in the top 6% for blocks per 90 (2.56), top 7% for interceptions per 90 (2.62) and top 15% for tackles per 90 (2.79) - demonstrating how much the defensive areas of his game have improved too.

Valued at £19.8m by Transfermarkt, Villa could attract a hefty fee for the right-back, but Gerrard will want to keep him for as long as possible, and so will the fans who have been won over by him.

In other news: Sold at £11m, now a 266-goal icon: Villa will rue call on "magnificent" PL legend