Aston Villa want Calvin Bassey in the Premier League and Charlie Nicholas is not surprised to see the Rangers starlet attract interest from clubs south of the border, speaking to the Scottish Express.
Only a couple of months ago, the prospect of Bassey starting at centre-half in a crucial, make-or-break European clash would have been enough to keep even the most optimistic, glass-half-full Rangers supporters up at night.
It’s testament to Bassey’s insatiable drive for self-improvement, then, that the 22-year-old has gone from a so-called weak link to arguably Rangers’ finest central defender in the blinking of an eye.
Bassey was colossal in the Europa League last-four triumph over a uber-talented RB Leipzig side and was even named Man of the Match in the final.
And with The Telegraph reporting that former Ibrox boss Steven Gerrard wants to reunite with the former Leicester City starlet at Aston Villa, Nicholas is convinced Rangers are set to make a massive profit on a player they signed for next to nothing two years ago.
Aston Villa want Calvin Bassey from Rangers
“I can see Rangers getting £25 million,” says the former Scotland international, insisting that Bassey would represent an upgrade on Villa skipper Tyrone Mings.
“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. I look at Bassey and I think there is more. I also think he has more potential to get even better.
“For me, he has been the best young player in Scotland.”
Bassey, like Mings, is an athletic, left-footed defender blessed with fearsome physical attributes.
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The one-time Crystal Palace reject made his name at Rangers as a full-back rather than a centre-half, however.
Bassey would give Gerrard some much-needed competition for Lucas Digne if, as expected, Matt Targett moves on.
“I would be simply amazed if Bassey was still at Ibrox next season,” Nicholas adds. “How Leicester City didn’t see the potential in him is really surprising.”
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