Ambitious Aston Villa are set to step up their pursuit of £40m-rated Sevilla central defender Diego Carlos in the coming weeks.
And they reportedly view looming Burnley free agent James Tarkowski as a back-up option amid their pursuit to bolster their backline before next season.
But in-demand Calvin Bassey is not credited in The Athletic's report which states Steven Gerrard has held internal talks about putting together a defence with which to be reckoned.