According to Sky Sports, Aston Villa have made a loan offer for Burnley centre-back Ben Gibson with a view to a potential permanent switch.
Aston Villa have reportedly made an approach for out of favour Burnley defender Ben Gibson. The offer is for a loan deal until the end of the season, including an option to make the move permanent upon the expiry of his loan spell at Villa Park.
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has been using the January transfer window to his advantage, as he looks to plug Villa’s leaky defence. He has already signed Kortney Hause – who can play on the right side of defence as well as in the centre – from Premier League side Wolves for the remainder of the season, also with an option to make the move permanent.
Joining for a joint-club record fee of £15m, the defender swapped Middlesbrough for Burnley upon Boro’s relegation to the Championship. However, he has failed to have the impact his fee implied, falling down the pecking order under Sean Dyche.
Gibson has played just one game in the Premier League this season, making two appearances in the FA Cup and two appearances in the Europa League qualifying stages as well.
Prior to Gibson’s move to Burnley, he had spent his entire career with Middlesbrough. He joined the Boro academy in 2005 at the age of 12, working his way through the club’s youth squads before making his first-team debut off the bench in April 2011 vs Coventry.
Over the course of the next two-and-a-half years, the defender was sent on loan spells to gain first-team experience. He went on loan to Plymouth Argyle, York City and played for Tranmere Rovers over the course of two consecutive spells.
In the 2013/14 season, Gibson became a regular in the first-team and went on to play 204 games for Boro. Now, after a stint with Burnley, he could return to the Championship where he has enjoyed most of his success.
