Aston Villa are set for a shock raid of Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho, with Steven Gerrard looking to add stardust to his squad.
That's at least according to former Villain Tony Cascarino, who says that Firmino will not be content playing a substitute role behind Diogo Jota – and that Gerrard could bring him and Coutinho to Villa Park.
"It’s only my gut feeling – I think Aston Villa will go for one big Liverpool player, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Firmino left and went to Villa," Cascarino told talkSPORT.
"I know people will be saying, 'hang on, Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool would never let him go', but Firmino has been a sub way too often."
On the subject of Coutinho, Cascarino claimed, "‘He might think he knows how to get the best out of him. I’m talking that level of transfer. A player at the very top end who has played for the biggest clubs, and been successful. I think that’s where Gerrard’s coming from.
"If he’s talking about exciting the Villa fans, he’s not talking about someone coming out of the Championship or maybe a mid-table Premier League team to come to the club."
While Gerrard is certainly ambitious, the links do feel a little wild to be true.
Firmino is now 30 and has shown no interest in leaving Anfield, even with the introduction of Jota. Klopp has constantly referred to the Brazilian as a key component of his side, even going as far as to claim he was world-class "every day".
Coutinho – while a little more plausible – would also be expensive. The Barcelona star may struggle to coexist with Emi Buendia, too, who has underwhelmed since arriving from Norwich but remains the Midlands outfit's record signing.
Aston Villa lost this weekend 2-1 to Brentford.
