Aston Villa move for James Tarkowski ‘discussed’ as Steven Gerrard searches for defender – report
Aston Villa want to sign a centre-back this summer and have put Burnley defender James Tarkowski high on their list of options, according to John Percy.
Steven Gerrard has already been dealt the blow of losing Ezri Konsa for a few months with a knee injury but despite that news, the Villans have been debating which central defensive units to go after in the summer.
The former Liverpool midfielder took charge at Villa Park in November and hasn’t had the chance to revolutionize the squad in his image just yet but this could be the window where he flexes his muscles and makes some big changes to the side.
Percy, a reporter for the Telegraph, shared via his personal Twitter account that Tarkowski was on the list of potential centre-half signings but his name wasn’t the only one in the conversation.
“Steven Gerrard wants to sign a new centre-back this summer (this was the plan before Ezri Konsa’s injury, which Villa hope is not as bad as first feared),” Percy said.
“Burnley’s James Tarkowski is a free agent this summer and has been discussed, but options on the position are open.”
Freebie
Thankfully for Gerrard and the Aston Villa board, Tarkowski would not cost a penny in terms of a transfer fee because his contract at Turf Moor expires this summer and he isn’t going to sign a new one either.
Understandably though, given that he is an England international, Villa aren’t the only side holding out hope of signing the 29-year-old for nothing in the summer and he could be the subject of a mini wage war among the Premier League’s mid-table sides.
With Tyrone Mings, Kortney Hause and Calum Chambers all able to play centrally with no problem at all, that area might not be of huge importance straight away for Gerrad but if he wants to get himself a freebie in the market he needs to act quickly.
Luckily, the Clarets travel to Villa Park on Thursday (19 May) for a Premier League encounter hoping to boost their bid to survive relegation and the Villa chiefs can start the wheels turning by talking to Tarkowski and feeling out his interest in joining for the 2022-23 campaign.
In other Aston Villa news, it should be another routine win against Mike Jackson’s side if they repeat what they did less than two weeks ago.