Sources: AVFC now plotting move for "excellent" £14.4m-rated titan, Gerrard needs him – opinion

Aston Villa could be ready to plot a move for Marseille defender Duje Caleta-Car.

That’s according to Football Insider sources who claim that Steven Gerrard is stepping up to sign a new centre back in the summer transfer window. Gerrard watched Caleta-Car last week as Marseille beat Nantes 3-2 in Ligue 1.

With the Croatia international’s contract expiring at the end of next season and his market value set at £14.4m, then Villa may well grab themselves a bargain if they were to land the defender.

They may face a battle though, as fellow Premier League side West Ham have been linked with him in the past few months.

Villa have conceded 27 goals in 21 matches under Gerrard since his arrival in November 2021 and these figures are simply not good enough if he aims to take the side into Europe.

The centre-back partnership of Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa is clearly not working well enough, hence the interest in Caleta-Car.

Dubbed “excellent” by Alex Crook, it’s clear to see why. The 25-year-old has 22 caps for Croatia, featuring in the squad that was runners-up at the 2018 World Cup and also played in Euro 2020.

Caleta-Car has a 92% pass success rate in Ligue 1, higher than both Mings and Konsa. Showing that he can play out successfully from the heart of defence and build attacks.

He also wins 69% of his duels per game in Ligue 1, again higher than both Englishmen and these performance-related factors could be what Gerrard is looking for in a central defender; someone that is strong and can win both ground and aerial battles, as well as being able to play out well.

Villa may find themselves with a bargain on their hands come the summer.

AND in other news, Aston Villa now plotting bid for £18m-rated “phenom”, he’s the “new Yaya