A suprise link that has emerged is to 21 year old Burnley defender Nathan Collins. The Irish international, relegated to The Championship with The Clarets at the end of the 2021/2022 campaign, is thought to be valued at around £25m.
This is an interesting rumour given that Villa have already strengthened at centre-half with the purchase of Diego Carlos from Sevilla. However, the club might view Collins as providing extra much needed cover as Steven Gerrard looks to improve upon a disappointing 14th place Premier League finish.
Embed from Getty ImagesVilla had previously looked at James Tarkowski, also of Burnley, but the 29 year old is expected to be unveiled at Everton imminently.
Naturally there is competition for Collins’ signature, with a number of clubs cited as holding an interest. Newcastle, Leeds and Wolves are reported to be possible destinations, with his new boss Vincent Kompany seemingly resigned to losing the promising defender.
Any move would bring to a close a relatively short career at Burnley, having only signed from Stoke City last summer for a fee of £12.6m.
The defender is described as having an ‘old fashioned, no-nonsense’ style of play, attributes that may likely appeal to Gerrard as the former Rangers manager looks to change Villa’s mentality as much as anything else.
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