Aston Villa are keen to sign Calvin Bassey after his outstanding season at Rangers, but Charlie Nicholas believes he’ll fetch a tidy penny give how many other clubs may be interested this summer.
With Matt Targett likely to leave and Kortney Hause having an uncertain future, Steven Gerrard could do with a left-back and centre-back ahead of next season. Bassey can play in both roles, so he could be a useful player.
The 22-year-old has made 64 appearances in all competitions since joining Rangers on a four-year deal from Leicester City in 2020, scoring one goal with six assists.
Bassey has played in 49 games across the board this season, greatly impressing under Giovanni van Bronckhorst, so his future looks bright. It’s easy to see why Villa want him, but Nicholas says he’ll cost £25m to sign, despite being a free transfer two years ago.
He said in his Scottish Express Sport column: “You can see why Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa are so keen to get him but there will be a string of top clubs looking at him. I think the minimum value would be in the £25 million bracket.
“The reason why I put him in that range is because he is already a better player than Tyrone Mings. He was one that was built up and has ended up becoming an England international, but I look at Bassey and I think there is more.
“I also think he has more potential to get even better. I have heard people in recent weeks say how good he has been, but he has been like that for the last four or five months.
“For me, he has been the best young player in Scotland. The one player that the top English and European clubs will be looking at is absolutely Bassey. I would be simply amazed if Bassey was still at Ibrox next season.”
Gerrard has Hause, Mings, Ezri Konsa and Calum Chambers at centre-back, but Konsa is sidelined with a knee injury while Hause could be on his way out this summer, so Villa will need at least one defender.
Burnley’s James Tarkowski has been linked with the Midlands outfit too, so Villa could have three new defensive options if they land all their targets – Boubacar Kamara, Bassey and Tarkowski.
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