Steven Gerrard confident Aston Villa will keep spending to back him

Steven Gerrard is confident Aston Villa’s billionaire owners will continue to give him their backing in the transfer market as he prepares to reshape his squad this summer.

Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens have committed nearly £350million on new players since Villa were promoted in 2019.

After Wolves condemned Villa to three successive defeats for the first time since Gerrard’s arrival in November, Villa’s priority now is to refresh the midfield.

Leeds and England star Kalvin Phillips is high on Gerrard’s list, though the 26-year-old has been offered a new deal and may be difficult to prise from Elland Road.

Villa also had a bid turned down for Brighton’s Yves Bissouma in January, and could return at the end of the campaign given Bissouma’s contract expires at the end of next season. The club also have a long-held interest in Southampton pair James Ward-Prowse and Oriol Romeu.

‘Now is the not the time to talk about figures and amounts,’ said Gerrard. ‘What the owners have done for this club has been phenomenal in terms of the backing. I don’t think they’ll change because given the communication I’ve had, they’re very ambitious and they want to win matches, as I do. I think we are aligned from the top of the club to bottom. My close staff all know where we are strong and where we need support.

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