Aston Villa transfer news: Barcelona ‘meet the youngster’s agent’ and Scottish double raid

Aston Villa have already signed two new stars this summer and now new faces could soon arrive – but Carney Chukwuemeka has caught Barcelona’s attention

Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard has already left for a flyer with his end-of-season recruitment after pledging to have an ‘exciting’ summer as he tries to turn the club into European contenders .

Philippe Coutinho was first through the door when his loan from Barcelona was turned into a permanent £17m deal on a deal worth £125,000 a week. He has since been joined by French midfielder Boubacar Kamara, 22, whom Gerrard hailed as one of Europe’s best young stars.

Now Gerrard is focused on bringing in a new defender after Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings struggled to produce consistent good form this season. It is also believed that Gerrard is also looking for a new striker to give Ollie Watkins more competition.

Villa ready to be interested in wonderkid

Villa Carney starlet Chukwuemeka is on Barcelona’s radar according to reports in Spain. The England youth international has made 12 Premier League appearances for Villa this term, including the start of his penultimate game against Burnley. But he is yet to sign a long-term deal with Villa where he has risen through the ranks.

Now, Spanish radio station SER claim Barcelona are interested in signing the 18-year-old midfielder and claim Barcelona staff Mateu Alemany and Jordi Cruyff have already met with his agent. Barcelona have apparently accepted that Ousmane Dembele doesn’t sign a new contract and joins PSG on a free transfer.

Double raid on Scotland planned

The Times reports that Aston Villa are ready to step up their pursuit of Rangers defender Calvin Bassey after his standout season in which he featured in both the Europa League and Scottish Cup finals.

Bassey, 22, has impressed this term and made 52 appearances after joining Leicester in July 2020.

While north of the border there are also reports that Villa will sign Hearts wonderkid Ewan Simpson when he turns 16 this summer after agreeing a fee of around £250,000 with the Scottish club . Simpson has impressed for the Jambos U18 side this season and is believed to be close to completing his move after turning 16 in July.

Villa on alert for Liverpool ace

Mirror Football correspondent John Cross has exclusively advised Villa to make a potential shock move for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Oxlade-Chamberlain, 28, has one year left on his current contract at Anfield and Liverpool will listen to offers for the England international.

Villa boss Steven Gerrard is a longtime admirer of the versatile midfielder who has 35 caps for England and still has a long career ahead of him.