Steve Bruce will want to put his own stamp on the squad in the summer to get Aston Villa in the right shape for a promotion push next season.
One of the keys to escaping the Championship is having a rock-solid defensive unit and Villa are being linked with a number of centre-backs to plug into the back-four.
A player Villa are reportedly very interested in signing is Bristol City star Aden Flint, according to the Birmingham Mail.
Flint has made a name for himself at Bristol City in the last few seasons as a goalscoring defender, with five goals in 44 Championship appearances this term to add to his 21 goals across the two seasons before that.
Barnsley’s Marc Roberts and Chelsea’s Michael Hector have both also been discussed as potential defensive signings to improve Bruce’s options at centre-back ahead of next season to go with James Chester and Tommy Elphick.
