Aston Villa have reportedly offered a contract to James Tarkowski, while Diego Carlos and Calvin Bassey have also been linked with a move.
Villa conceded 54 goals in 38 Premier League games last season while managing to keep just 11 clean sheets, and so that is perhaps an area in which Steven Gerrard will want to strengthen and tighten things up where possible this summer.
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With the attacking quality that we have in the squad, it’s important to have a balance, and that is arguably what we’ve already added with the signing of Boubacar Kamara this week to solidify our defensive midfield options.
With Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa, Calum Chambers and Kortney Hause currently at his disposal, it appears as though Gerrard is keen to bolster Villa’s defensive ranks amid speculation pairing us with an interest in various targets, while it remains to be seen if that is linked to a possible exit too.
Villa make £120k-a-week Tarkowski contract offer
As per the Daily Mail, Villa are said to have offered Tarkowski a £120,000-a-week contract as we look to fend off interest from elsewhere and land the 29-year-old’s signature this summer.
With Burnley dropping out of the Premier League and with Tarkowski’s current contract set to expire next month, the expectation is that he will move on, and so it remains to be seen if Villa’s attractive contract offer is enough to convince him to make the move to join up with Gerrard’s squad.
Tarkowski boasts plenty of Premier League experience and has two caps for England to his name, and so he could potentially be a solid option to add competition and depth to the squad.
Diego Carlos, Bassey also linked with Villa move
It appears as though Villa have multiple targets on their radar though to address this area of the squad, with The Athletic’s David Ornstein reporting that Sevilla centre-half Diego Carlos is also a possible solution for us.
However, he adds that a swoop for the Brazilian could be problematic given his transfer fee and wages, and so it remains to be seen if those possible hurdles can be overcome to get a deal agreed for the 29-year-old.
If that move fails to materialise, The Times report that Villa are stepping up their pursuit of Calvin Bassey, with a deal supposedly edging closer for the Rangers man.
Bassey, 22, impressed this past season, playing a key role domestically for Rangers but also in their run to the Europa League final. That experience at a high level will no doubt play in his favour, but it remains to be seen if he emerges as the priority target for Villa or if we opt to move for one of the other names instead.