Aston Villa could reignite their interest in Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones when the transfer window reopens in January, according to Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield.
What's the latest news involving Jones?
Jones has been on the radar of Villa boss Dean Smith, who was mulling over making a late move for the England under-21 international before the transfer market closed last week.
It comes after Smith had the opportunity to bolster his squad having seen talisman and captain Jack Grealish depart for a British record transfer fee of £100million to Manchester City.
Villa smashed their own transfer record to sign Norwich City attacking midfielder Emiliano Buendia, while Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey cost £25million and Danny Ings switched from Southampton for a similar fee.
Ashley Young has returned to the club for a second spell and Axel Tuanzebe has also been drafted in on loan from Manchester United.
But Smith opted against increasing his summer spending by making a late bid for Jones, who has made 47 senior appearances for Liverpool since coming through the Merseyside club's youth system.
What has Luke Hatfield said about Jones?
Villa reporter Hatfield reckons Smith could firm up his interest in Jones, who boasts six England under-21s caps, by heading to Anfield with a bid in January.
However, he would not be surprised if Liverpool were only willing to sell the academy product if the deal includes a clause which would allow the Reds to reclaim Jones for a pre-agreed fee.
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Hatfield told GMS: "It's one I'm sure they will keep an eye on over the next few windows. It's very rare that a player is shortlisted and then immediately signed.
"He's obviously a talented player and he would do well for Villa but would Liverpool really be willing to let such a promising player go? Maybe they would try to include a buyback clause because you see more of them nowadays.
"It could certainly be revisited in January or the summer."
How has Jones performed this season?
Jones has not played a single minute of the new campaign.
He was forced to miss the season opener against newly-promoted Norwich City after suffering concussion in Liverpool's pre-season friendly against Spanish outfit Osasuna.
Although he claimed a place on the bench for the next fixture against Burnley, he was not even named in boss Jurgen Klopp's matchday squad for the stalemate with Chelsea prior to the current international break.