The Scottish winger, 25, has failed to establish himself in the first team at Villa Park despite showing occasional glimpses of brilliance.
It now seems that Roy Keane is willing to pay in excess of £3 million to take the former Celtic man to the Stadium of Light.
Maloney seems to have settled in the Midlands after a spell of homesickness when he first joined Villa.
It was rumoured at the time he would make an immediate return to Scotland but he stuck it out and got stuck in.
He scored an injury time winner at home to Fulham which improved his confidence.
Ironically he also scored a superb free-kick at Sunderland to earn Villa a draw in the North-East.
It seemed Maloney had cemented his place but the re-emergence of Stiliyan Petrov combined with a loss in Villa's form meant the Scot was sidelined.
He is clearly one of the most talented players that Scotland has produced in recent years and may feel the benefits of a move closer to his Homeland.
Another player linked with a move up north is Marlon Harewood who is attracting interest from Rangers.
He is also thought to be on Roy Hodgson's shopping list at Fulham.