Aston Villa sent Calvin Bassey transfer message as Steven Gerrard eyes reunion

Former Rangers manager Alex McLeish has told his old club not to sell centre-back Calvin Bassey for less than £25million this summer.

Aston Villa are keen on a move to sign Bassey ahead of next season and a reunion with ex-Gers boss Gerrard, who signed Bassey just five days after becoming Rangers manager from Leicester in 2020.

In his two years at Ibrox, the Italian-born Nigerian international has made 50 appearances for the club in all competitions including 15 appearances during the club's run to the final of the Europa League in the 2021/22 campaign before losing to Eintracht Frankfurt on penalties in Seville.

McLeish, who managed Rangers between 2001 and 2006 and took charge of Villa between 2011 and 2012, has said that the Scottish giants should only part company with Bassey this summer if they can secure a fee of at least £25m from Gerrard's Villa side, the same fee Celtic got when selling left back Kieran Tierney to Arsenal in 2019.

"I would say yes," McLeish told STV when asked if Bassey should warrant a similar fee to Tierney. "In the beginning when I saw Bassey I wasn't sure if he was a left full-back, wing-back, centre-back.

"He's been versatile enough to play in all three positions. I really enjoyed his cup final performance and that's made me see why there's so much attention being paid to him at the moment."

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Bassey would be a versatile option for Villa, should they pay to sign the Nigeria international this summer. While the majority of his outings this term for Rangers were as a centre-back, he has also played regularly at left-back, as well as featuring as a wing-back. The 22-year-old has two years left on his contract at Ibrox and has won one Scottish Premiership title and one Scottish cup title.

Villa have wasted little time in being busy in the summer transfer window. Already, they have completed deals to sign Philippe Coutinho, Diego Carlos, Boubacar Kamara and Robin Olsen. Former Liverpool playmaker Coutinho arrived from Barcelona, initially on loan, in January, but will now be a permanent player on Villa's books from the end of this week after completing a £17m transfer.

Villa also spent big on signing Brazilian centre-back Carlos from Sevilla, paying £26m. Goalkeeper Olsen has joined on a £3m deal from Roma after spending part of last season on loan from the Serie A club.

Kamara, who had been heavily linked with interest from Manchester United, has signed a five-year deal with Villa on a free transfer last month. The 22-year-old earned his first cap for France this year and joins international colleague Lucas Digne in the squad.