Bruce has arguably the strongest team in the Championship, with Aston Villa having spent in excess of £90million since their relegation from the Premier League last year.

But the 56-year-old, who replaced Roberto Di Matteo last October, has guided Villa to just one win in their seven league outings this season.

And Spanish outlet Sport claim Villa have contacted Garcia about replacing Bruce, with chairman Tony Xia desperate to get out of the Championship.

Garcia has previous experience in the Championship, having narrowly missed out on promotion with Brighton in the 2013/14 campaign.