Championship side Barnsley could be set to sign Aston Villa midfielder Gary Gardner, according to Alan Nixon on Twitter.

The midfielder has spent much of his career on loan with various clubs, and has enjoyed spells with Nottingham Forest, who have been one of the clubs linked with making a permanent move for him over the summer.

However, it now appears that Barnsley could be set to jump to the front of the queue to sign Gardner, with manager Paul Heckingbottom keen to add reinforcements to his squad before the end of transfer window.

Gardner has still only made just shy of 40 appearances for the Villans, despite being with the club since 2011. His loan spells with Forest over the last two seasons have been his most successful spells in his career thus far, with spells at Brighton, Sheffield Wednesday, and Coventry City earlier in his career all helping his development too.

The box to box midfielder would no doubt be an excellent signing for Barnsley, who have been searching for a quality central midfielder since losing Conor Hourihane to Villa in January last season.

Villa and Barnsley fans, what do you think to this? Good deal all around? Let us know your thoughts!