Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard will be using his "persuasive power" to try and convince Alexis Sanchez and Gareth Bale to move to Villa Park.

The big-name duo are both nearing the end of their contracts at Inter Milan and Real Madrid and have been linked with surprise moves to the west Midlands.

What's the latest news involving Bale and Sanchez?

According to La Tercera, Villa are interested in signing the ex-Arsenal ace, who enjoyed a fruitful spell in the Premier League and is about to enter the final 12 months of his contract at San Siro.

GiveMeSport Transfer Verdict

GiveMeSport Transfer Verdict

The report states that Gerrard's side would be willing to match Sanchez's £175,000 per-week wages as NSWE look to continue their spending spree having already signed four players this window.

Meanwhile, along with Tottenham and Newcastle, Villa are in the running to sign Bale, who'll be available to sign on a free transfer once his deal expires at Madrid at the end of this month.

Bale, who's scored an incredible 183 club goals in his career, has been strongly linked with a move to Cardiff City as he aims to sign a short-term deal with someone to stay fit ahead of the World Cup, but O'Rourke reckons Gerrard will be hoping to encourage both him and Sanchez to come back to English football.

What did O'Rourke say about Bale and Sanchez?

He told GIVEMESPORT: "It would be a surprise, but it just shows Aston Villa's ambition that they're looking for those type of high-profile signings. Obviously Gareth Bale wants to keep fit ahead of the World Cup.

"We all know how good Gareth Bale can be on his day and I'm sure Steven Gerrard will be using his persuasive power to try and encourage him to move to Aston Villa, as he will be with Alexis Sanchez."

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Could Aston Villa sign either Bale or Sanchez?

As exciting as it would be for the Villa faithful to have one of these stars lining up in claret and blue, both deals look incredibly tricky.

Cardiff appear to be in the driving seat to sign Bale, who visited the club's training ground and spoke with manager Steve Morison earlier this week over a potential move to the Welsh capital, with the attacker set to decide on his future in the coming days.

Meanwhile, Sanchez, who's scored 180 goals across his career, was still a regular for Inter last season and even at 33-years-old, he'll surely be hoping to continue playing in Europe for at least another few years, which could see Villa miss out on him, too.