Aston Villa have been urged to sign Ivan Toney before the end of the summer transfer window...

What's the word?

Former Villans striker Darren Bent believes that the Brentford talisman would be an ideal target for the Midlands outfit. When discussing potential options on talkSPORT, he namedropped the 26-year-old.

"Ivan Toney is the one that jumps out to me," he said.

Toney has regularly been linked with an exit from the Bees in recent windows, with Leeds United and Newcastle United thought to be two interested teams.

Meanwhile, according to transfer insider Dean Jones on 'The Football Terrace' last month, he is likely to cost around £50m.

He's what Gerrard needs

Perhaps sporting director Johan Lange ought to listen to the former Villa man as a player of Toney's calibre is exactly what manager Steven Gerrard needs to get the side firing this campaign.

Last weekend, his team were defeated by newly-promoted AFC Bournemouth and they seriously faltered in front of goal, registering only two shots on target all game.

But that has been an all too familiar story for Villa ever since Gerrard arrived in the dugout. Last season, only Ollie Watkins hit double figures for goals in the Premier League, whilst nine other teams managed more attempts on target per game, via WhoScored.

Toney has already kickstarted the season with a goal, scoring in Brentford's 2-2 draw with Leicester City, building on last term's 14-goal effort. In total, he's found the net 48 times across 90 appearances in west London.

Not only does he provide goals, though, but his attitude and work rate could elevate some of Gerrard's other underperforming stars.

"If you want to be a top player you need to work hard, constantly reflect and want to learn and then of course you need to have that confidence that he’s got so naturally," his manager Thomas Frank told reporters (via the Evening Standard).

"He’s coming across so fantastically: he’s humble, calm, but with a mindset of a lion."

Also lauded as a "unplayable" by ESPN UK editor David Cartlidge and an "absolute machine" by talkSPORT journalist Phil Spencer, Toney could be the sort of striker that Gerrard badly needs heading into a hectic fixture list.

The former Rangers boss is now under pressure to deliver in the Midlands and a swoop of this calibre could certainly get a few people onside and help alleviate one of his lingering problems up top.

AND in other news, Villa's £80k-p/w "titan" dealt further setback, Gerrard's got another big problem...