Report: Aston Villa, Watford Eye Chelsea Defender Gary Cahill

Aston Villa is looking to fill the void left by veteran defender John Terry with Chelsea's Gary Cahill, but face competition from Watford, according to reports.

Aston Villa is looking to fill the void left by veteran defender John Terry with Chelsea's Gary Cahill, but face competition from Watford, according to reports. 

The Blues captain, 32, faces an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge under new manager Maurizio Sarri, after failing to feature in any of the Blues' five matchday squads so far. As a result, a host of clubs have registered their interest in the former England defender, with a move away looking likely. 

Cahill is in the final year of his contract with Chelsea - who he joined in 2012 - and would be available on a free transfer next summer, which could be an attractive proposition for the Villans given their recent financial predicament.

According to French outlet La Gazette des Transferts, via Sport Witness, the Championship club will consider making an attempt to bring the 32-year-old back to the club, over ten years since he departed Villa Park for Bolton Wanderers.

Watford, similarly, view Cahill as a man capable of injecting experience into their side, and may consider making an offer for him at the expense of defensive duo Miguel Britos and Younes Kaboul, who are out of contract at the end of the season. 

The report from France comes amid reported interest from Marseille and Bordeaux, who are both keeping tabs on Cahill's situation alongside La Liga side Sevilla. 

Having being overlooked in the Premier League to date for the likes of David Luiz, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, Cahill could be handed his first appearance of the campaign in the Blues' Europa League clash with PAOK Salonika on Thursday as Sarri looks to rotate his squad - as per the Telegraph. 

The game could also see Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley given a place in the starting lineup, as both look to impress their new boss.