Aston Villa boss Dean Smith has admitted that Gary Cahill was a player they discussed this summer, ahead of his move to Crystal Palace.
The former Chelsea defender made the switch to Selhurst Park earlier this month, signing for Palace on a free transfer following his release from Stamford Bridge at the end of last season.
Palace were not the only club linked with signing the 33-year-old though, with Aston Villa and Arsenal among the other potential suitors for the former England international.
However, both sides ended up signing other transfer targets, with Cahill making the move to Palace ahead of the 2019/20 campaign.
And ahead of Cahill facing his old club Aston Villa at Selhurst Park this weekend, it has now been confirmed by Villa boss Dean Smith that the defender was under consideration for a return to the Midlands.
“Gary Cahill was a player discussed last January and at the end of the season,” Smith confirmed, speaking ahead of the game against Palace tomorrow (Saturday).
“It was just one we didn’t end up going for and, instead, ended up with Ezri Konsa and Bjorn Engels.”
Meanwhile, Smith has said that he is expecting a difficult test for his side when they travel to south London to take on Roy Hodgson's men in SE25.
"It's important to keep them performance levels high, especially going into a tough game like Crystal Palace," he said at his pre-match press conference.
"It's going to be a challenge. I went to watch them at Sheffield United where they didn't perform particularly well, but then they've gone to Manchester United and got a fantastic result."
