Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard reportedly has a £50m transfer budget to sign a midfielder this summer, with Wilfred Ndidi and Yves Bissouma on his shortlist.
Villa’s more pressing concern this week will be producing a positive reaction after our disappointing defeat to Newcastle Utd on Sunday, and Gerrard will have to get the best out of what is at his disposal until the end of the season.
READ MORE: Five key talking points as woeful Villa suffer defeat at Newcastle Utd
While it has been clear for some time that Villa need a defensive midfielder to shore things up in that department and provide protection for our defence, the club have yet to address it in the transfer market, albeit we fell short in our pursuit of Bissouma last month.
As per the Express and Star, Gerrard himself confirmed that Villa made an offer to Brighton for Bissouma in January, but ultimately that was rejected and so it remains to be seen if we return with an improved bid in the summer.
Ndidi, Bissouma on Villa transfer shortlist with £50m budget for Gerrard
According to the Daily Star, the Mali international forms half of a two-man transfer shortlist that Gerrard has to address the issue at the end of the season, with Leicester City’s Ndidi also on his radar.
It’s added that the Villa boss has a £50m transfer budget to bring in the right man for the job, and so it remains to be seen if we can prise either of Ndidi or Bissouma away from their respective clubs this summer.
Given the attributes that strengths that they have, particularly off the ball in the defensive phase, they seem to be astute targets to have in mind.
However, it will be interesting to see the knock-on effect of such a signing, in terms of what it might mean for our current options in midfield with Douglas Luiz currently occupying that deeper-lying role in front of the Villa backline.
Should one of Ndidi or Bissouma arrive, the Brazilian would seemingly drop down the pecking order, and along with Marvelous Nakamba returning from injury, time will tell if that would raise question marks over his future at the club, with the Star report above noting that Arsenal showed interest in him last month.
Time will tell if Villa are able to land one of the touted targets named above, but it’s certainly promising that we’re looking to find a solution in that area as it has long been a concern for us, and that concern has been reaffirmed in the last two games against Leeds and Newcastle.