Aston Villa have not been in contact with Rangers about signing fullback Borna Barisic, according to the Heart & Hand.
The podcasters, who have links with official channels at the club, have dismissed a report in the English media which suggested that former manager Steven Gerrard was lining up an £8m offer for the Croatian international:
“Asked and been told there has been no contact between Rangers and Villa about Barisic. Any reports to the contrary are false.”
Barisic’s form since the appointment of Giovanni van Bronckhorst has been excellent and the Gers boss will be keen to keep hold of the 29-year-old.
Van Bronckhorst has spoken out after the team’s plans for the January transfer window, claiming that discussions have been held, although no decision has been made on whether a new defender will be brought in:
“We will see. It can go either way but hopefully at the end of the window we have a better squad than when the transfer window opens. We are discussing what has to be done but so far nothing has been decided yet about bringing in some new players in defence.”
The injury to Filip Helander means a new centre-back would be the priority, especially as van Bronckhorst has been forced into playing left-back Calvin Bassey in the centre of defence in recent matches.
