Morning transfer twist: Gregg Evans drops major Villa blow on tank Gerrard was desperate to sign

Aston Villa are ‘unlikely’ to sign Burnley centre-back James Tarkowski this summer, according to Gregg Evans.

Villa have been hard at work prior to the transfer window officially opening, making Philippe Coutinho’s loan move permanent and putting deals in place to sign Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos.

The latter isn’t the only centre-back on Villa’s radar, though, with the Midlands club being linked with Rangers’ Calvin Bassey as well as Tarkowski.

Sky Sports revealed last week that Villa held talks with the Burnley defender ahead of a possible move, with reports even suggesting that Steven Gerrard was desperate for the club to get a move over the line, believing there isn’t a better deal to be struck all summer for the soon-to-be free agent due to his Premier League experience (194 top-flight outings).

The Athletic recently stated that Villa were the early favourites when it came to securing Tarkowski’s services.

However, Evans took to Twitter on Tuesday morning to reveal that a move to Villa Park for the 29-year-old is now ‘unlikely’.

With Tarkowski potentially morning elsewhere, Villa may now look to go all-in for Bassey. Gerrard knows the player well after working with the Nigerian at Ibrox following a move from Leicester.

Bassey starred in the final months of the 2021/22 campaign, catching the eye in the Europa League final defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt. The 22-year-old would provide an option at both centre-back and left-back, and with reports previously hinting that a move to Villa was close, it could be one to watch closely once more.

In other news: ‘Brutal’ – NSWE now closing in on another Villa signing for Gerrard after Carlos; pundit fuming 

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