According to The Sun, Aston Villa have joined Everton in the race to sign Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo before today’s 5pm deadline.

The arrival of Harry Maguire from Leicester City has left the Red Devils with a lot of centre-back options, and they are willing to let the Argentina international leave.

Villa will have to pay £25 million to have a chance of beating Everton to Rojo’s signature, but United are open to the idea of a season-long loan.

While manager Dean Smith would have loved to do business with the Old Trafford outfit for another defender – Axel Tuanzebe – he might have to settle for the experienced South American.

The 29-year-old is also versatile – one of the reasons Toffees boss Marco Silva probably wants him – as he can fill in at both centre-back and left-back, while his ability to play as a winger means he can also be deployed as a wing-back.

Villa could do with more defensive signings despite already bringing in 12 players, and Rojo brings a lot to the table in terms of quality.

It will be exciting to see if the Midlands outfit can beat Everton to his signature, but the fact that they can get him on loan means there is a safe option for them in case he struggles at Villa Park.