Aston Villa keen to convert Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley's loan into a permanent deal

Aston Villa are reportedly keen on making Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley's loan deal a permanent one during the January transfer window.

According to the Mirror, Paul Lambert is so impressed with the player that he wants to activate an option in the deal to convert the loan deal they agreed on with the Red Devils, on deadline day in the summer, to a permanent one.

Cleverley was hailed as the next hot prospect in English football, but failed to impress the United hierarchy, which led to the midfielder struggling for regular game time under former managers Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes.

Following the arrivals of Juan Mata in January along with the summer arrivals of Ander Herrara and Daley Blind, it was understood where he stood in manager Louis van Gaal's plans. Thus, a deadline day loan move was secured to Villa Park.

The midfielder has enjoyed regular game time under Paul Lambert and has impressed many a pundit and his manager along the way with his consistent performances. This has led to the manager asking the club to sign him up on a permanent deal in the upcoming winter transfer window.

The 25-year-old midfielder is on the final-year of his contract and will be available on a free next summer, but such has been his performances the Villa manager is not ready to wait until then, which give other interested clubs a chance to poach him. The Villa Park outfit can complete the signing of Cleverley for a fee of around £7.5m.

The only time the midfielder has not featured for the Villans was when they faced United on Saturday, a game which ended the Old Trafford clubs six match winning streak in the Premier League.