“I’m not too sure where he ends up” – Transfer expert claims Aston Villa star could be heading for exit

Aston Villa striker Danny Ings could leave the club this summer, according to transfer expert Dean Jones.

Ings only joined the Villans last summer in a surprise move from Southampton for a reported fee of around £25 million.

The 29-year-old arrived at the Midlands club with high expectations. However, he has failed to replicate his excellent form from his time with the Saints, having scored just five goals in 25 appearances across all competitions this season. He also has five assists to his name.

Due to the Englishman's lack of goals, manager Steven Gerrard has backed Ollie Watkins to be his first-choice striker. As a result, Ings has been dropped out of the starting XI whenever Aston Villa don't play with two up front.

Ings returned to the starting lineup for the Villans in Saturday's home clash against Tottenham Hotspur. However, he missed a series of big chances, and the hosts crashed to a 4-0 defeat.

The loss was Aston Villa's fourth in a row, and they currently find themselves 12th in the Premier League table.

Transfer expert Jones has said he could see Ings leaving Villa Park this summer, telling GiveMeSport:

"I do think it’s possible or likely even that Villa move on from Ings and are open to offers, but I’m not too sure where he ends up.”

Football Insider have reported that Brighton, who sit a place above the Villans in the league, are interested in bringing Ings back to the South Coast.

Graham Potter's side have just 28 league goals this season, the fourth-lowest in the division.

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Steven Gerrard looking to rebuild Aston Villa squad this summer

Steven Gerrard has made no secret of the fact that he would like to bring several new players to Aston Villa to fit his style of play.

The Villans are no strangers to splashing the cash in the transfer market ever since their Premier League return three seasons ago.

However, the former Rangers boss was scathing in his criticism of his side following the Spurs thrashing. As per Football Express, he said in his post-match press conference:

“We are certainly a work in progress. We have tonnes of work to do, you can see in the second half that defensively we have tonnes of work to do and there is certainly a gap between the sides above us right now.

"The recruitment is so important moving forward, that’s what we’ll do, but there is a lot of work on the training ground that needs to happen for sure.”

The England and Liverpool legend has also made it clear that he would like to bring loanee Philippe Coutinho to the club on a permanent basis.

A defensive midfielder is also a priority for him this summer, with Brighton's Yves Bissouma and Leeds United's Kalvin Phillips both being heavily linked.