Matthias Ginter responds to Aston Villa transfer claims and confirms talks

Borussia Monchengladbach defender Matthias Ginter has been asked about rumours linking him with a move to Aston Villa.

Villa have been credited with an interest in the 28 year-old, while their Premier League rivals West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur have also been touted as potential destinations for Ginter. A centre-back does not look the most obvious area of Villa's squad in need of freshening up with a defensive midfielder a priority.

Kalvin Phillips and Yves Bissouma of Leeds United and Brighton and Hove Albion respectively are both targets and Villa boss Steven Gerrard is thought to have been in Spain to watch Atletico Madrid midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia during his side's Champions League clash with Manchester City. But reports in the national press last weekend claimed that Gerrard's first-choice pairing Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa are players whose positions are under scrutiny.

Villa have lost their last four matches in the Premier League, conceding nine goals across those matches.

Ginter is expected to be among the players available for free this summer with his contract at Monchengladbach expiring come the end of the season.

The 46-cap Germany international signed a five-year deal when he joined from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 and could yet sign fresh terms with Monchengladbach.

He has quizzed directly about the Villa links and while he would not discuss Gerrard's side in particular he did confirm that talks had been held about his future.

"I would like to hold back on specific clubs or domestic and foreign issues for the time being," he told the German media outlet Sport1.

"But of course, you talk to different people and you have a few things that are important to you. Then you will see everything