Aston Villa make big Luis Suarez decision at Villa Park | OneFootball

Aston Villa are not exploring the prospect of signing out of contract striker Luis Suárez this summer, according to talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook.

The former Liverpool man most recently played for Atlético Madrid but is set to leave the La Liga club at the expiry of his contract at the end of the month.

What’s the latest on Suárez?

According to Mundo Deportivo, Suárez is close to signing for Argentine giants River Plate, back in his native South America.

However, the same report suggests that the 132-time Uruguay international is yet to give the Copa Libertadores contenders a response as to whether or not he will be signing for the club this summer.

The former Champions League winner had been linked to a move to Villa, which would have reunited him with former teammates Philippe Coutinho and Steven Gerrard, the latter now managing the west Midlands side.

But Crook believes that this is simply an obvious link, and there is no actual interest from Villa’s side to bring the striker to the club.

What has Crook said about Suárez?

He told GIVEMESPORT: “I do know that one or two superstar names have been mentioned.

“Luis Suárez is of no interest to Aston Villa.

“Signing Luis Suárez is obviously a lazy link there between Gerrard and Suárez, but I’m told that’s not one that they’re exploring.”

What next for Aston Villa?

It seems extremely unlikely that Suárez, who has previously been labelled as a “stallion” by NBC’s Justin Karp, will be plying his trade at Villa Park next season, but that won’t damage the morale of the Villa faithful after an exciting transfer window for the club so far.

However, Villa will feel they could do with another body up front, with last season’s £25m signing in Danny Ings struggling to hit the heights last season, scoring just seven goals and providing six assists in 31 appearances over the last campaign, according to Transfermarkt.

Ollie Watkins’ impressive performances last season meant he was Villa’s top scorer, with 11 goals and two assists in 36 appearances, according to the same stats provider, but the club still have plenty of time to secure the signature of another forward, and fans of the former European Cup winners will be far from disappointed by their early business already this summer.

Indeed the club have made a head start in the transfer market, with no less than four permanent deals having been secured in the early stages of this window, suggesting that Gerrard still has plenty of time to identify the perfect striker to complement the talent he already has.