Aston Villa are taking an interest in Rangers and Nigeria centre-back Calvin Bassey, as per John Percy of the Daily Telegraph.
The Lowdown: Gerrard looking to enhance defensive options
It’s no secret that Steven Gerrard has been interested in bringing in defensive reinforcements this summer, with out-of-contract James Tarkowski having been linked with the club last week.
With Ezri Konsa seemingly out for the start of the next campaign, the Villa boss will be keen to have a top-quality addition available to him at centre-half to begin the 2022/23 Premier League season.
But it looks like Gerrard could be heading back to his former employers in his search for a first-team centre-back.
The Latest: Villa have entered the race
According to the Telegraph, Villa have now entered the race to sign the 22-year-old defender, who has also attracted interest from Chelsea according to Fichajes.
Bassey usually plays at centre-back for the Europa League runners-up, but has also played at left-back, which could prove to be a versatile option for Villa should he sign for the West Midlands side, with Lucas Digne having suffered from his own injury issues since his arrival at Villa Park.
The Verdict: Get it done
The main source of Aston Villa’s problems this season has been their inability to keep the ball out of the back of their own net, so defensive reinforcements would make sense.
Bassey’s current manager in Giovanni van Bronckhorst has previously said that he had seen something “rare” in the centre-back.
“I saw something in him [Bassey] which is rare to see in his age,” said the current Rangers boss.
“Very mature, very strong, very powerful, it has been a pleasure to work with him and still work with him in the future to make him stronger.”
With an average SofaScore rating of 6.97 throughout the Scottish Premiership season, and keeping a total of 13 clean sheets, Bassey’s performances have proved him to be one of the most exciting prospects for transfer this summer.
This is 0.23 higher than that of Ezri Konsa, the man who he would likely be taking the place of should Bassey arrive whilst Konsa is injured.
Gerrard will feel that he needs to start from the back to build a European challenging side, and Bassey might just be the man to solve that defensive problem.