Aston Villa have recently been linked with an audacious move for Everton winger Anthony Gordon, in a deal which could make a marked impact on the Midlands outfit's squad.

The Everton winger was subject to a £45m bid from Chelsea in the summer, but the Merseyside team rebuffed the intense interest in his signature.

And now, according to 90min, the Toffees are willing to cash in on one of their most coveted assets, with the likes of Villa, Newcastle and Leicester interested in making a move.

While Everton manager Frank Lampard had previously been confident that the 21-year-old would pen a new deal at Goodison Park, negotiations appear to have stalled, and with the outfit facing yet another fight to stave off the threat of relegation from the Premier League, the funds received for a prospective deal could be used to fortify further departments of the struggling squad.

Imagine him & Watkins

Emery has bolstered the squad across several areas of the pitch since the opening of the January transfer market, with deals for Alex Moreno and Jhon Duran already cemented and still with over a week before the window closes at the end of the month.

The recent news would represent a shrewd and potentially fruitful acquisition by Villan technical director Johan Lange, with Gordon impressing for Everton despite their woes over the past two campaigns.

Indeed, the Blues narrowly secured their status as a top-flight outfit with a burst of good form at the end of the previous term, while this season an expected upturn has not materialised, with only Southampton below the club in the Premier League relegation zone after 20 matches.

With a more cohesive, confident crop, Gordon could finally find his feet on a platform that would allow him to demonstrate his capabilities as an exciting and efficient talent.

This season, only Demarai Gray's five strikes better Gordon's three goals, illustrating just how depleted Everton's attacking potency is, but the signs surrounding his skill set are promising regardless.

As per FBref, Gordon ranks among the top 1% of positional peers across Europe's big five leagues for blocks and the top 3% for tackles, with his relentless defensive work providing respite for his flagging defensive teammates.

And still averaging 1.6 shots and 0.5 key passes per showing, the Liverpudlian is an effective offensive outlet for a side that look barren in their efforts to bypass defensive walls.

Should he don the Claret & Blue shirt in short time, the £13k-per-week star could form a deadly partnership with Ollie Watkins, who clinched the winner against Southampton in Villa's most recent showing.

Watkins ranks poorly among his positional peers over the past year, in the bottom 27% for rate of goals and only the top 36% for rate of assists, but with Gordon adding a defensive sheen from a defensive standpoint, as well as adding a layer of direct firepower and creativity to the frontal efforts, he could finally rekindle the form that saw him clinch 25 goals across his first two league seasons with Villa.

Hailed as "frightening" by Boreham Wood boss Luke Garrard, Gordon - who possesses an expected transfer value (xTV) of around £23m - would certainly bring that fear factor to the Midlands.

Importantly, they could finally offer him a platform to exhibit his prowess in a squad pushing for a finish among the more prominent teams in the Premier League, rather than scraping for survival against the stragglers.