Reliable journo now reveals huge transfer development, Villa supporters will be gutted – opinion

Aston Villa could be priced out of a move for Rangers’ Calvin Bassey amid increased transfer interest in the 22-year-old.

That’s according to Ryan Taylor, who took to Twitter on Saturday morning to update Villa supporters on Bassey’s future.

The Daily Express reporter outlined: “Rangers keen to encourage an auction for Calvin Bassey. Ajax, who view Nigerian as Lisandro Martínez replacement, currently highest bidders. Brighton have also made an offer. Asking price: £25m but with race hotting up, any sale could surpass that figure.”

Villa had shown interest in the Nigeria international during May and this recent development will be a blow to Steven Gerrard, who brought him to Ibrox in 2020.

Bassey impressed last season for Rangers, and he showcased his talents on one of the biggest stages with a fine performance in the Europa League final, which Owen Hargreaves dubbed “astonishing” on BT Sport.

This has made things significantly harder for Gerrard, who would surely have loved a reunion with the enforcer at Villa Park.

The versatile defender, who often operated at left centre-back in a back three, or at left-back, was almost ever-present for Rangers both in the league and in their remarkable European run. He featured 29 times in the Premiership and a further 15 times in the Europa League journey.

His league performances in particular were of a high standard, with a 6.97 average SofaScore rating. He was a stalwart for the Light Blues and combined his incredible speed with a tendency to be in the right place at the right time.

Still just 22 years old, his future is looking increasingly bright. Even back during his Leicester days, the Foxes’ under-23s coach Steve Beaglehole claimed that the Nigerian was “outstanding”.

Bassey’s