Aston Villa have been paired with an interest in signing transfer target Matthias Ginter from Borussia Monchengladbach this summer.
Having conceded 46 goals in our 31 Premier League games so far this season, a tally which gives us the second-worst defensive record of the top 12 teams in the standings, Steven Gerrard will be fully aware that’s an area of our game that must improve next year.
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That in turn could raise scrutiny of the likes of Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa, and it’s suggested by Sky Sport Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, as per his tweet below, that Villa have set their sights on potentially signing Ginter this summer.
The 28-year-old has racked up close to 300 Bundesliga appearances over the course of his career thus far, with spells with Freiburg and Borussia Dortmund preceding his stint with Monchengladbach, with whom he signed in 2017.
He also has 46 caps for Germany, while his list of honours include domestic cups along with being part of the German squad that lifted the World Cup in 2014.
It does seem as though Villa will target another centre-back this summer with Calum Chambers and Kortney Hause currently in reserve for our usual pairing, and it appears as though Ginter could emerge as the solution to that problem.
That said, Plettenberg adds that the German defender hasn’t made a decision on his future as of yet and he’s in fact waiting to see what other options present themselves ahead of the summer.
In turn, it remains to be seen if Villa are able to position ourselves at the front of the queue should he decide on a move elsewhere at the end of the campaign, or if we’re forced to consider alternative targets in our bid to allow Gerrard to stamp his mark on the squad and improve it enough to ensure we can challenge for a European place next year.
News #Ginter: Gerrard wants him! @AVFCOfficial officials have spoken to his management. But Ginter has not made a decision yet. He waits for other options. #AVFC #TransferUpdate @Sky_Marc🟨
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) April 11, 2022