Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard is reportedly keen to land Rangers defender Calvin Bassey and reunite with the left-back.
Gerrard signed the Bassey from Leicester City in 2020 whilst he was in charge of the Scottish club and the Nigerian international has made 64 appearances since, playing a pivotal role in the Gers’ Europa League journey this season.
The Villa Park outfit sent representation to Hampden to watch the 22-year-old in action in Saturday’s 2-0 Scottish Cup final win over Hearts. Bassey helped Rangers to their 34th Scottish Cup, putting in a Man of the Match performance.
Your Scottish Cup Final Man of the Match is @CalvinBassey đź’Ş#ScottishCupFinal pic.twitter.com/gPb5wOiks0
— Scottish Cup (@ScottishCup) May 21, 2022
According to the Daily Record, Gerrard wants to strengthen the left side of his defence with Ashley Young ‘s contract expiring this summer and Matt Targett ‘s future unclear yet after impressing on loan at Newcastle United. Lucas Digne has been Gerrard’s first-choice left-back since his January move from Everton.
The former Ibrox boss is apparently aware of the stiff competition for the defender’s signature, with five Premier League rivals and two Serie A clubs interested in luring Bassey away from Scotland. Newly-promoted Fulham are keen with Wolves and Brentford also said to have the left-back on his radar. Bassey’s Ibrox contract expires in two years (2024).
Ahead of Sunday’s final game of the season at Manchester City, Gerrard has already made his intentions clear this summer about the work required on his squad. Despite a positive instant impact at Villa when he first arrived in November, Gerrard has faced various struggles and they sit 14th in the league.
Speaking after Thursday’s 1-1 draw with relegation-threatened Burnley, Gerrard discussed his ambitions to see his side improve next season. He said: “But everyone knows the position we’re in and if we want to take this journey where we want to take it, we have to recruit well, that’s for sure. I’ve said it for a while.
“We did that in January to improve and steer the team away from any danger, but we can’t relax being 14th in the league, these fans deserve more.”
Aston Villa ended their 2021/22 campaign with a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Manchester City to hand Pep Guardiola’s men the Premier League title.
