Gerrard interest in Liverpool man dismissed – but Villa boss eyes Rangers teenager
Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard does have plans to strengthen his squad during the January transfer window – but a touted Liverpool target is not understood to be on his list of prospective recruits.
Gerrard suffered his first loss as Villa boss on Wednesday night as Manchester City recorded a 2-1 win at Villa Park. However, it’s understood to be a much happier camp under Gerrard, with Rio Ferdinand explaining this positive change.
Indeed, two wins in three games marks a solid impact for the former Rangers boss. Gerrard, though, knows he will have to improve his squad in January if they are to climb the Premier League.
As such, Villa’s CEO Christian Purslow admits the club may be active in the winter window.
“Everybody knows January is not a month in the market which is particularly easy to navigate, in the ordinary course of business, actually, I wouldn’t have expected us to be active at all,” he told the club’s official website.
“But if there is one consequence of mid-season managerial change, it’s that new managers often have slightly different systems, slightly different biases, in terms of types and profiles of players they are looking for.”
One man strongly linked with a move is Liverpool defender Joe Gomez.
The 24-year-old has played just 13 minutes of league football in 2021-2022. As such, he needs game time to boost his England chances.
Indeed, he now seems to be behind both Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate in the bid to partner Virgil van Dijk.
However, the Daily Mail claims Jurgen Klopp has no intention of letting him leave. Furthermore, the paper states he is not on Gerrard’s list of targets.
Villa boss keen on King
One man who Gerrard is chasing, however, is Rangers teenager Leon King.
The 17-year-old defender was handed his Gers debut by Gerrard during his time at the club.
However, with his deal due to expire in the summer, a host of English clubs have been linked with King. Indeed, the likes of Manchester United, Newcastle, Leicester and now Villa are on his trail, according to Birmingham Live.
King will be available for around £200,000 in January should he continue to snub Rangers’ offer of a new deal.
King is not the first Rangers player to be linked with a move to Villa Park since Gerrard took charge.
The Daily Record recently reported that Villa will reignite their interest in midfielder Glen Kamara following Gerrard’s appointment.
READ MORE: Gerrard provides promising update on two Villa forwards amid transfer links
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