Luis Suarez in talks with Steven Gerrard over reunion at Aston Villa

Former Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid striker Luis Suarez is in talks with Steven Gerrard over a move to Aston Villa, according to reports.

The Uruguayan striker, 35, played with Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard for two-and-a-half seasons before making the switch to Barcelona in the 2014/15 season.

Gerard, who retired in 2016 and entered into senior management in 2018 has not stopped talking about the Uruguayan in glowing terms. He holds Suarez in the highest esteem, calling him the best player he has played with in a number of interviews.

The opportunity to reunite with Suarez has now presented itself to the former Liverpool captain as he is reported to be the driving force behind Aston Villa’s push to bring the striker to Villa Park.

It is also reported that he is leading the negotiations with Villa counting on his relationship with Suarez to pull off what will be the highest profile signing in their history.

Villa have moved ahead of other Premier League clubs in the market with three new signings – Philippe Coutinho, Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos – and The Athletic reports that they are still looking for three new signings.

Suarez will fill the new striker role if he moves to the Birmingham-based club, while they continue their search for a left-sided centre back and a midfielder.

Villa in a five-way tussle for Burnley centre back

Their preferred centre back option is Burnley’s James Tarkowski.

The Clarets were relegated on the last day of the season but Tarkowski was one of the few players who rarely put a foot wrong in their unfortunate season.

Burnley are reported to be looking to strengthen their squad ahead of a tough run in the Championship next season, with 24 teams and eight more games as opposed to the 20 teams in the Premier League.

Villa are in talks for the defender but face competition from Everton, who secured their safety on the last day of the season; Newcastle United, the richest club in the world; Fulham, who sealed a return to the Premier League as the winners of the Championship; and West Ham United, who suffered greatly from a lack of squad depth in the just concluded season.

It is understood that Everton and Newcastle are the frontrunners for the defender’s signature but Villa are not going down without a fight as they look to build a squad capable of competing for European places next season.