Aston Villa will attempt to attract some of the ‘biggest names in Europe to the club’ during the summer, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.
The Midlands outfit have shown ambition in the transfer market since they returned to the Premier League at the beginning of 2019/20 and could be set for another busy few months ahead.
What is the latest news involving Aston Villa?
Following a recent defeat to local rivals Wolves, Gerrard indicated that his first-team squad are playing for their futures after failing to turn up for the whole 90 minutes.
“At the moment, we are looking like a 45-minute team, and that is on me,” said the 41-year-old tactician. “I’ve got to fix it, and I will fix it. The players here have to help me now for the next eight games, and if not, we’ll get players who will help me fix it.”
And one player who could arrive at Villa Park over the coming months is Borussia Monchengladbach defender Matthias Ginter.
The 28-year-old is set to depart the German outfit as a free agent following the conclusion of his contract in the summer, and Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas has revealed Villa are one of several sides keeping close tabs on his situation.
Meanwhile, Dutch newspaper Voetbal International has claimed Gerrard was in the stands to watch PSV Eindhoven against Leicester City in their Europa Conference League clash recently in order to scout defensive midfielder Ibrahim Sangare.
What has O’Rourke said about Aston Villa?
Villa secured the shock signings of Lucas Digne and Philippe Coutinho in January following Gerrard’s arrival from Rangers, and O’Rourke believes there ‘will be a turnaround of players’ ahead of next season.
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He told GiveMeSport: “I think Steven Gerrard has come out publicly and said that there will be changes at Villa Park this summer, and I think there will be a turnaround of players.
“And they’ve shown with their signings so far under Gerrard that they can lure some of the best players, the biggest names in Europe to the club. So, I think there will be big players again in the summer transfer window.”
Would Ginter and Sangare be good signings?
Ginter has established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s top centre-backs in recent years, racking up 46 caps for Germany since his debut in 2014.
As per FBref, the 28-year-old has also ranked in the 99th percentile for shot-creating actions, 97th for progressive passes and 92nd for progressive carries amongst players in his position over the last year, showcasing his quality as a modern-day defender.
Sangare has also been a standout performer for PSV since his arrival in the summer of 2020 and has averaged 3.4 tackles, 2.4 interceptions and 72.8 passes per league game this season, placing him in the top two amongst his teammates for each metric.
