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Aston Villa will explore the possibility of re-signing Stewart Downing after it emerged this morning that he is available for loan.

The club checked out the Middlesbrough winger's situation earlier this month when Rudy Gestede departed in the opposite direction however the early signs were that he would not be moving anywhere this month.

Boss Steve Bruce wants tried and trusted recruits to boost his promotion bid and is thought to have earmarked Downing as a potential target when drawing up a wish-list at the back end of last year.

Given that Downing has played 19 times for his hometown club this season, it was originally thought to be a non-starter but his situation has changed in recent days.

The Birmingham Mail understands that the initial enquiry was just to test the waters and the club weren't particularly confident that a deal could be struck.

Downing, now 32, played for Villa for two years between 2009 and 2011 before leaving to join Liverpool in a big-money deal.