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According to The Sun, Aston Villa are eyeing a bid for Southampton left-back Matt Targett as the club look to strengthen their options in defence.

What's the word?

After a number of defenders left the Villans following the climax of the season, it's clear that a key area to strengthen will be their backline.

Axel Tuanzebe, Kortney Hause and Tyrone Mings have all returned to their parent clubs whilst Alan Hutton and Tommy Elphick have also been released.

Hause could return in a £3m deal after the club triggered their option to buy whilst they do at least have Frederic Guilbert arriving after initially signing in January.

The latest defender who may make a move, however, is Targett. Per a report from The Sun, they suggest that Villa are eyeing up a £10m bid for the versatile left-sided player.

The newspaper suggests that the 23-year-old is Dean Smith's first choice to add competition at left-back.

Taylor ousted?

One of Villa's problem positions last season was arguably on that left-hand side of defence.

Taylor was inconsistent at times, although he did show signs of improvement towards the back end of the season. Hause also occasionally played in that area but found himself struggling for regular starts as the campaign reached its conclusion.

However, the signing of Targett could well put their issues in that part of the pitch to bed. At the same time, it would also oust one of the key members from Villa's promotion winning campaign.

For someone who only started 13 times in the Premier League last season, £10m does represent quite a large sum of money.

Yet, as they gear up for a return to the top-flight, finding players with proven experience at that level will be key.

Taylor has an understanding of how to play in the top division after doing so for Swansea but given the fact he's now 30 years of age, finding someone with more promise and potential is a shrewd move.

At this stage of their respective careers, Targett would represent a better option. He's solid in defensive phases of play but arguably even better going forward.