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According to respected journalist Alan Nixon, Aston Villa are eyeing up a move for Swansea defender Mike van der Hoorn, who will be available on a free in the summer when his contract expires.

What's the word, then?

The Dutchman has started all 30 of the Swans' Championship games this season, scoring two goals and recording an assist as the Welsh club sit 13th in the table.

Swansea got rid of Jefferson Montero, Tom Carroll and Wilfried Bony on deadline day, and also came close to selling both Daniel James and Leroy Fer as the recently relegated side embarked on a fire sale, much to the disgust of the club's supporters.

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Chairman Huw Jenkins also resigned just days after deadline day, which suggests all is not well at the Liberty Stadium - by the sounds of things, 26-year-old van der Hoorn may be the next key player to leave the club.

Where would he fit in at Villa?

The Villains managed to sign Tyrone Mings from Bournemouth on a six-month loan on deadline day, although a permanent deal for the Englishman could be too far-fetched as he appears to be well thought of at the Vitality Stadium.

In that respect, if the Cherries do decide to keep Mings and refuse to sell him to the Midlands-based side, Dean Smith may potentially be eyeing the move for van der Hoorn as an option to compensate for the loss of Mings.

The aforementioned report from Nixon states that Villa were priced out of a move for the former Ajax defender earlier in January, so it is possible that they signed Mings instead with a view to getting their first choice target in the summer.

Loan star Axel Tuanzebe is also set to return to Manchester United in the summer, so a move for another centre-back would be a wise one for Villa.