Aston Villa want to strengthen Steven Gerrard’s centre-back options in the January transfer window, regardless of Napoli’s efforts to sign Manchester United loanee Axel Tuanzebe.
That’s according to the Daily Mail, who report the Villans will look to add to their defensive numbers next month. The Birmingham outfit are keen to offer Gerrard greater depth, and may need to replace Tuanzebe on top of their established plans should he move to Italy.
Napoli are in talks with Manchester United over Tuanzebe switching Villa Park for the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. The Azzurri are not currently close to agreeing on terms with the Red Devils, though. Despite TuttoMercatoWEB claiming that a deal is likely imminent.
Napoli also have a number of alternative targets who could improve Luciano Spalletti’s side next month. A deal for Tuanzebe would be a loan for the remainder of the term and possibly an option to buy. Manchester United would want around £25m to sell, however.
Aston Villa already paid Manchester United £4m to sign Tuanzebe on loan during the last transfer window. They also beat Newcastle to a year-long deal for the 24-year-old, but the move has not worked out. He has made just 11 appearances so far, with nine in the league.
Aston Villa want centre-back transfer regardless of Napoli courting Tuanzebe
Tuanzebe gained an early role in Dean Smith’s side after the Napoli targets’ loan transfer to Aston Villa from Manchester United in August. He started six of the Villans’ first 11 Premier League games this term. But has only played eight-minutes over two games under Gerrard.
The former England U21 international has also spent five fixtures as an unused substitute since Villa sacked Smith. But he is one of only four senior centre-backs available to Gerrard.
So, Aston Villa hope to sign another name in January, regardless of Napoli’s transfer pursuit of Manchester United loanee Tuanzebe. His place in Gerrard’s immediate plans could also become clear on Sunday, with Tyrone Mings unavailable at Brentford through suspension.
Gerrard confirms plans to strengthen in January
Gerrard confirmed Aston Villa intend to strengthen in the January transfer window during his press conference on Friday. But the Birmingham outfit will only sanction deals for in the mid-season market if they improve the quality already available.
“We’ll only make signings if we feel they are the right signings for the team and the club,” Gerrard said, via quotes by the official Aston Villa Twitter feed. “We have identified certain individuals we would like to bring in and we are actively looking to improve.”
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