Villa defender Curtis Davies believes the club would be landing one of the bargains of the summer if they were to pursue out-of-contract Newcastle striker Michael Owen.

The out-of-favour England forward is available on a free transfer this summer and looks all but certain to be on his way out of St James’ Park, after Villa’s 1-0 win over the Magpies consigned the north-east giants to the Championship.

The former Liverpool and Real Madrid star has again been plagued by injuries this season – a groin problem restricted him to a cameo role at Villa Park on Sunday – but he still finished as Newcastle’s top scorer with 10 goals.

But his wage demands would be unlikely to fit Villa’s current pay structure, although that outlay would be at least partly offset by the lack of a transfer fee.

Davies believes the signing of such a high-profile figure would lay down a real marker for the new season.

He said: “I am sure Michael Owen doesn’t need revitalising by any manager. I am if he goes somewhere, keeps fit and plays games then is going to score goals.

“He is that good a player. Unfortunately this season, just as he started to hit form, he got injured again and hasn’t managed to put a run of games together.

“I’d love to see him here at Villa if that was an opportunity, although at the same time there will be other clubs sniffing around him.”