Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard will pull off 'three perfect signings' if he succeeds in tempting Geoffrey Kondogbia, Ibrahim Sangare and Kalvin Phillips to Villa Park, according to journalist Josh Holland.
Having taken over as the Midlands outfit's head coach last November, Gerrard could see the upcoming summer transfer window as the ideal opportunity to put his own stamp on the Villa squad.
What's the latest news involving Villa's transfer targets?
Gerrard has been clocking up his air miles while pinpointing who he wants to move for in the summer and he flew out to Spain to watch £13.5million-rated Atletico Madrid defensive midfielder Kondogbia in action against Manchester City, who is said to be a 'serious target'.
Sangare is another star the Villa chief has taken time out to watch, with him being in the King Power Stadium stands to see PSV Eindhoven's Europa Conference League encounter with Leicester City last month, according to Dutch newspaper Voetbal International.
Gerrard has also headed to France to oversee Marseille ace Boubacar Kamara's performance against Nantes.
Despite being valued at £22.5million by Transfermarkt, Kamara is available as a free agent as his £46,000-per-week Marseille contract will expire in a matter of weeks.
Villa, along with Newcastle United, are understood to be leading the race for Leeds United star Phillips.
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What has Josh Holland said about the situation?
Holland believes Kondogbia, Sangare and Phillips would be standout summer signings for Villa.
The journalist feels Gerrard's scouting missions show it is clear that he is eager to reinforce his options in the middle of the park.
Holland told GIVEMESPORT: "If he's keen on Sangare, Kamara, Kondogbia or even Phillips, we can expect to see a central defensive midfielder come in.
"All four of them are quality players, but it's a case of which one suits Gerrard's style of play more, so I'm quite keen to see which one they bring in and how they adapt to the Premier League.
"I think Kondogbia and Sangare, alongside Kalvin Phillips, would be the three perfect signings."
How much would Kondogbia, Sangare and Phillips cost?
According to TEAMtalk, Villa will have to 'break the bank' in order to tempt Atletico Madrid into selling Kondogbia.
The report suggests the club would have to offer a contract worth more than the eight-cap Central African Republic international's current £115,000-per-week pay package.
Meanwhile, Sangare and Phillips are valued by Transfermarkt at £14.4million and £45million respectively.
Despite that, it has been reported that Villa are willing to fork out £60million in order to secure the latter's services.