Smith Rowe earned plenty of new admirers last season for his sparkling performances under Mikel Arteta in an Arsenal shirt.
The 20-year-old scored four goals and made seven assists for his team-mates in 33 appearances in all competitions for the north Londoners as he continued to show promising progress at The Emirates.
Arsenal finished in eighth place in the Premier League table last season, while Aston Villa ended up in 11th spot and six points behind the Gunners.
Journalist Castles has now claimed that Aston Villa have been showing an interest in signing Smith Rowe, whose current deal at Arsenal is set to expire in the summer of 2023.