Aston Villa are preparing to strengthen their squad this summer ahead of the 2022/23 Premier League season, and an important transfer update has now been revealed.

What's the latest?

According to Birmingham Live, Steven Gerrard has made it clear that Cameron Archer will not be made available for loan this summer.

As per the report, there are 14 clubs interested in signing the forward during the current transfer window following his impressive loan stint at Preston North End, but the 42-year-old will now give the youngster a full assessment in pre-season to determine his role in Villa's team next season.

Supporters will be delighted

Villa supporters will surely be delighted that Gerrard will be looking more closely at Archer's potential to be given an opportunity in the first team, especially when you consider his output over the last 12 months.

In the first half of the 2021/22 campaign, Archer remained at Villa Park, scoring six goals and contributing two assists in the EFL Trophy for the under-23s. He also netted four goals in the Carabao Cup for the senior team, with a hat-trick against Barrow in the second round.

The 20-year-old joined Preston in the second half of the season on a short-term loan spell and duly lit up the Championship, with seven goals and one assist in his 20 appearances for the Lilywhites.

Across all competitions in which he featured, Archer ended the season on 20 goals and five assists from 33 appearances, with one goal contribution for every 100 minutes played, which will surely catch Gerrard's eye when making his decision on the youngster's future at Villa.

Preston manager Ryan Lowe sang the praises of the talented youngster, saying (via Lancashire Post): “Cameron has got an abundance of talent. His quality levels are fantastic, he’s bullish, strong, he can roll, he has got that little burst of pace too."

As a result of Archer's impressive form last season, Gerrard has a huge decision to make on the 20-year-old's future. The youngster has clearly made the most of his opportunities to play first-team football, and the Villa boss will need to see if he can fit the talented striker into his already competitive forward line next season.

AND in other news: "Villa will..": Fabrizio Romano drops transfer news that'll leave Gerrard buzzing