Aston Villa have made Rangers boss Steven Gerrard their number one target and will approach the Ibrox club this week for permission to speak to the manager, according to a report.

The English Daily Mail claim that Villa are "determined" for the Scouser to replace sacked Dean Smith.

He is said to top a list that includes Belgium boss Roberto Martinez.

The Birmingham side sit 15th in the Premier League despite significant spending in the summer on the back of Jack Grealish’s sale to Manchester City.

The club’s chief executive Christian Purslow knows Gerrard well from their time together at Liverpool where they were managing director and captain respectively.

Gerrard has spent three full seasons at Ibrox where he has already achieved legendary status after winning a 55th league title and stopping Celtic from winning a tenth title in a row.

They currently lead the Scottish Premiership by four points from arch-rivals Celtic.

And it’s his record in Govan that has made him a prime candidate for the former European Cup winners who have been "impressed" by his work.