The three positions Aston Villa want to strengthen in summer transfer window

Steven Gerrard wants at least three new additions in the summer to transform Aston Villa from a mid-table outfit to one competing with the so-called top-six. The head coach will be backed handsomely by the club's owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens when the transfer window reopens on July 1.

Gerrard, 41, enjoyed a positive January window given the additions of Philippe Coutinho, Lucas Digne, Robin Olsen and Calum Chambers. And the manager wants to build on that to bring in more "winners" to help push the club forward.

Gerrard said: "Once we get to the summer, there's two very important things that need to happen. That is for us to have an extremely positive pre-season where we can go to work on our identity and how we want to look because we haven't had that luxury since we've been here, in terms of really nailing down how we want to play.

"Equally as important is if the right players become available for us to, again, move forward as a group. Players who are going to help the current players to make us a better version of ourselves and collectively. I believe the owners, Christian (Purslow) and Johan (Lange) and myself, will try and make that happen."

Ahead of the summer, here's the three key positions Gerrard and Villa want to strengthen. We'll begin with Villa's problem position and one they've tried to add to as recently as January...

Marvelous Nakamba's injury back in December quite possibly derailed Villa's campaign. Gerrard looked to rectify that in January but failed to bring in Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur. Attention has quickly turned to Leeds United's Kalvin Phillips, an out-and-out No.6. Villa are prepared to pay £60million for the England man but other targets are currently being monitored. Villa