Liverpool hoping rapid star signs new deal amid growing talk of a Premier League bid to sign him

Liverpool hope Joe Gomez will sign a new contract deal with new director Julian Ward keen to make it a priority.

The rapid defender has fallen down the pecking order since the arrival of Ibrahim Konate from RB Leipzig last season as he only started four league games last season.

It's been revealed that Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa are interested in signing the former England international.

Negotiations are ongoing but a bid from Villa could sway Gomez given the lack of game time in recent seasons with Gomez.

Aston Villa reports

Despite signing Sevilla's Diego Carlos, Gerrard is still keen on adding defensive reinforcements to his side.

He will be well aware of Gomez's situation at Liverpool, and he could offer the 25-year-old a guaranteed starting place in an ever-improving side pushing for European football.

According to the Mirror, Gomez has entered new contract negotiations to extend his deal past his current one which ends in 2024.

The player is in talks over a new deal to head off interest from clubs, with Villa the primary club linked but negotiations are ongoing.

2019/20 season

It's no secret which season was Gomez's best in a Liverpool shirt; the 2019/20 season saw Liverpool lift the Premier League for the first time.

Gomez played 28 times in the Premier League and featured 43 times in all competitions, impressing alongside to Virgil van Dijk.

His pace meant he could play in Liverpool's high line but he thrived and didn't look out of place next to the best centre-back in the world.

Injuries have really played their part since then, as he only featured 11 times the season after with injuries not allowing the former Charlton man to build any momentum in his career.

Suffering from a ruptured patellar tendon led to a 261-day layoff, Gomez has had to build himself back up and had more opportunities at right-back in recent times due to the lack of backup for Trent Alexander-Arnold.

However, with new right-back signing Calvin Ramsey, Gomez finds himself at the bottom of the centre-back pecking order and may be tempted by a move away from Anfield.

England aspirations

Following that stellar season for Liverpool, many had Gomez down as England's best centre-back option.

Given it is an area of weakness for England, Gomez still has an outside chance of making the World Cup squad, with Gareth Southgate still deciding over who should be a regular fixture at the back.

With the form of Harry Maguire dropping, and Southgate not fully convinced by the likes of Tyrone Mings, Conor Coady, Fikayo Tomori and Marc Ghehi - there's a chance, if Gomez can start the season well and show consistency, that he could make the squad for Qatar.

His last minutes were in a 3-0 friendly win over Wales back in October 2020 and has only featured 11 times since his debut in 2017.

Without regular football, he will have no chance of playing at the World Cup, leaving the defender with a decision to make in his career.