Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard ready to break own rule with £8m January raid on Rangers

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New Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard wants to snatch Borna Barisic from his former club Rangers as one of his first signings, according to reports. Gerrard has started life at Villa Park in fine fashion but will hope to use the January transfer window to begin shaping the squad to his liking.

The Liverpool icon took charge of his first game as Villa boss on Saturday before an excited home crowd.

Late goals from Ollie Watkins and Tyrone Mings secured a 2-0 triumph against Brighton & Hove Albion to end a run of five successive league defeats.

It was a dream start for Gerrard, but he will already plan to improve his ranks to get Villa to where they need to be.

And he looks set to target a familiar face at the earliest opportunity to start building his revolution from the back.

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According to The Mirror, Gerrard wants to bring Barisic to Aston Villa in the January transfer window.

Gerrard wants to complete an £8million move for the left-back to bolster his defensive options at Villa Park, despite his reluctance to weaken his former club.

The 29-year-old was crucial to his success at Ibrox after joining from NK Osijek in 2018 for £2m.

Barisic helped Rangers win their first Scottish Premiership title in a decade last season and undoubtedly has a huge admirer in Gerrard.

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He signed a contract extension with the Scottish champions in January 2020, running until the summer of 2024.

Rangers fans adore Barisic for his contributions to the club, with many delighted that his touted summer move to AS Roma didn’t come to fruition.

But the Croatian star has previously admitted that he wants to feature in one of Europe’s top leagues eventually.

And as he enters his 30s, he may feel like time is running out, and the chance to reunite with Gerrard could be too good to turn down.

Rangers fans undoubtedly won’t be happy with Gerrard leaving the club midway through the season as they search for back-to-back titles.

And luring their star left-back away from them certainly wouldn’t help mend the fractured relationship remaining.

But Gerrard will be determined to make his first Premier League job a success and if he views Barisic as a crucial acquisition, will likely sanction a move.

His era is off to a brilliant start, and Villa fans will have high hopes as to where his managerial abilities and recruitment can take them in the coming years.

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