Everton move to front of queue for James Tarkowski, Aston Villa still interested – report
Aston Villa have fallen behind in the race to sign Burnley defender James Tarkowski after Everton made a formal offer to get his signature.
Steven Gerrard’s side have already completed one free transfer this summer, confirming the arrival of Boubacar Kamara on Monday morning [May 23] and are also interested in several other players to bolster his starting lineup.
That includes Tarkowski, who Gerrard sees as a perfect signing to bolster his defensive options, but the Toffees have no moved ahead of them in the queue to get a transfer done.
According to the report by The Telegraph, Frank Lampard’s side have offered the defender £90,000 per-week in wages but he is yet to make a final decision on his future after seven years at Turf Moor.
The report suggests that Villa are still very much in the race to get a deal done, but Everton are now favourites after making their move first and trying to convince him to make the switch to Merseyside rather than the Midlands.
Blow
Gerrard has been very vocal about trying to get his business done early since there is a lot to be done, as evidenced by the Kamara signing.
But falling behind in the race for a key defensive target is definitely a blow to their summer plans as they look to bolster the squad quickly ahead of pre-season.
If Tarkowski was to end up moving to Merseyside the club would then need to look at other targets again and start from scratch on deals, which would waste time and not help their preparations.
Tyrone Mings’ future at the club is up in the air with some reports he may drop out of the side, while Ezri Konsa, Calum Chambers and Kortney Hause aren’t good enough options for where the club wants to go.
They have a chance to get the deal over the line with the defender yet to make a final decision, but they’ll need to move fast and if he is Gerrard’s first choice target then they need to ensure it gets done.
In other Aston Villa news, View: Aston Villa must resist bids for John McGinn if they’re serious about Europe