Steven Gerrard and Villa Recruitment Team Spotted in France Closing in on Target

By
MOMS
-

Gerrard, Purslow and Lange in France

Aston Villa’s Steven Gerrard, Christian Purslow and Johan Lange were all spotted together at the Stade Orange Vélodrome to watch Olympique Marseille’s 3-2 win over Nantes on Wednesday night.

With Villa in dire need of midfield reinforcements, an obvious transfer link has been to Marseille’s defensive midfielder Boubacar Kamara.

Chase for Boubacar Kamara


The 22-year-old has impressed many with his positional sense, passing and calm head for his age. At 6ft, he can also play centre-back, if needed. The fact that he’s coming up to be a free agent at the end of the season, is a major reason he’s attracting headlines across Europe.

But how realistic is it that he could fall into Villa’s hands?

With Marseille six-points clear in second place in the French Ligue 1 table behind Paris Saint-Germain, they look likely of Champions League football next season. Would that be tempting enough for Kamara to extend his stay at Marseille, at least in the short-term?

That possibility though would be the least of Villa’s problems.

According to some stories on the player, Atletico Madrid and Juventus lead the chase for his signature, while others suggest Manchester United are in pole position (although there were ‘Welcome to Manchester United’ videos up on Youtube on the player during the January window).

Are Villa just another club in the clickbait circus though? There’s been plenty of coverage of the player also stringing along supporters from the likes of Leeds United, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Newcastle and Wolves.

There Maybe Another…

Or maybe it’s actually Nantes’ promising midfielder Ludovic Blas that is tickling Villa’s fancy? If Philippe Coutinho doesn’t return next season, he could be an option. Although, it could be argued that Villa have more pressing concerns.


Villa’s track record when it comes to buying Ligue 1 midfielders isn’t great, but there’s a few other picks in the French team’s starting line-ups, especially on the Marseille side, that warranted the Villa visit.

Maybe Gerson? But would he be a massive upgrade on his fellow Brazilian, Douglas Luiz in midfield?

Duje Ćaleta-Car? Liverpool almost signed the Croatian international centre-back back in the 2021 January window. Is he once again looking for a Premier League move?

Marseille Starting Line-up

Pau Lopez (Goalkeeper), Duje Caleta-Car (Defender), William Saliba (Defender), Luan Peres (Defender), Pol Lirola (Defender), Boubacar Kamara (Midfielder), Gerson (Midfielder), Matteo Guendouzi (Midfielder), Amine Harit (Striker), Cedric Bakambu (Striker), Dimitri Payet (Striker)

Nantes Start Line-up

Alban Lafont (Goalkeeper), Dennis Appiah (Defender), Nicolas Pallois (Defender), Andrei Girotto (Defender), Samuel Moutoussamy (Midfielder), Marcus Coco (Midfielder), Wylan Cyprien (Midfielder), Sebastien Corchia (Midfielder), Willem Geubbels (Striker), Moses Simon (Striker), Ludovic Blas (Striker/Midfield)

Whoever the target is, the fact that Gerrard, Lange and Purslow all traveled together to give the player the once over, suggests it’s serious, and potentially at an advanced stage.

UTV

Listen and follow to the MOMS podcast on Spotify

£20 Villa Home & Away Shirts Sale

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR