Aston Villa ‘closing in’ on deal to sign Rangers defender Calvin Bassey

Aston Villa are reportedly closing in on a deal to sign highly rated Rangers defender Calvin Bassey this summer.

According to The Times, Steven Gerrard is keen on bringing Bassey to Villa Park after an impressive season with Rangers which ended with standout performances in the Europa League final and Scottish Cup final earlier this month.

The report states that Villa were impressed by Bassey’s performance at Hampden and the West Midlands club are now ‘ready to step up their pursuit’ of the Nigerian, with Gerrard keen to reunite with the player he signed as Rangers boss two years ago.

Gerrard’s men finished the season relatively strongly, putting their relegation fears behind them in the secon half of the campaign.

But they will be desperate to do much better next time around, and they are showing just how determined they are with their early summer business.

Villa have already wrapped up a permanent deal for Philippe Coutinho, and Boubacar Kamara will join on a free transfer when his Marseille contract expires.

Tarkowski offer

Villa appear to be going bold in their bid to land soon-to-be free agent James Tarkowski.

Tarkowski will leave Burnley at the end of his contract this summer, and according to the Daily Mail, Villa are set to blow the competition out of the water.

Villa are also considering an offer for Liverpool star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, according to a report from the Mirror.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has played a supplementary role this season, and he could drop even further down the pecking order ahead of next season.

According to the report, Liverpool could sell the England international on the cheap as a result, with a reported asking price of just £10million.

Villa could be tempted by that opportunity, and the report claims Gerrard will indeed be interested.

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