Aston Villa are planning to offer forward Jesse Lingard a contract this summer with the 29-year-old set to leave Manchester United next month as a free agent upon the expiry of his contract.

What's the story?

According to reports, via Birmingham Live, the Englishman is a summer target for Villa as Steven Gerrard looks to bolster his squad in his first summer transfer window in charge of the West Midlands club.

Lingard had enjoyed an excellent half-season on loan at West Ham United last season where he scored nine goals and registered five assists in 16 appearances and was labelled as "phenomenal" by TalkSPORT's Adrian Durham.

However, since returning to United, the 29-year-old has been offered little game time under both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick, starting just twice in the Premier League.

Villa must sign Lingard

Despite a cruel end to a long Manchester United career, there is no doubt that Lingard is still a talented Premier League winger.

Villa could still finish as high as seventh and as low as 15th meaning that their final four matches will be vital in deciding what sort of a proposition they will be to players they look to sign over the summer.

What is for certain though is that Gerrard will be looking for extra quality from out wide with neither big money signings Emi Buendia (£38m) nor Leon Bailey (£25m) making the desired impact at Villa Park.

Buendia has shown glimpses of brilliance but has scored just three goals in the Premier League this term, alongside registering six assists.

As for Bailey, the Jamaican's first season in England has been injury-hit and thus the winger has managed to start just seven league matches.

Both were brought in in the attempt to replace the goal contributions of Jack Grealish who departed for Manchester City. However, Lingard alone could potentially come close.

In his final season as a Villa player, Grealish scored seven goals and registered 12 assists in 27 appearances. That averages at a goal contribution every 1.42 matches whilst at West Ham, Lingard's average was slightly better at 1.14.

Moreover, on a free transfer, signing the £80k-per-week ace would be a bargain given his talent and experience. It would certainly make sense for Villa to swoop for the winger.

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