Aston Villa correspondent Ashley Preece has revealed Steven Gerrard will receive a ‘handsome’ summer budget.

The Lowdown: Gerrard ‘fuming’

Gerrard made four senior signings during his first transfer window in charge last month, the first of which was bringing Philippe Coutinho to the club from Barcelona on loan.

However, Villa have picked up just one point after the window slammed shut last month and recently fell to a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United.

Preece has claimed Gerrard will be ‘fuming’ following the defeat at St James’ Park, and attentions have already turned to the summer market ahead of his first full season in charge.

The Latest: Preece’s claim

Preece relayed his answers from a Q&A on Birmingham Live in a story on Tuesday morning.

When asked by one fan if Gerrard will get a ‘decent amount of money’ to spend in the summer as well as being asked on Financial Fair Play, Preece said:

“I said this once the January window closed two weeks ago, Gerrard's summer budget will be handsome. He'll be given what's required to finally see Villa in Europe come 2023. There could be huge amounts spent. As with FFP, I've been told Villa are fine given the sale of £100m academy graduate Jack Grealish which, in turn, proves that Villa are very sustainable and self-sufficient.”

The Verdict: Good news

Gerrard possibly spending ‘huge amounts’ ahead of the 2022/23 campaign can only be good news, as Villa look to establish themselves as a top-half team and eventually challenge for Europe.

Knowing that the club are fine when it comes to FFP is also a relief, and it’ll be interesting to see what areas of the pitch Gerrard will look to add to over the summer.

You’d expect a central midfielder will be one of the priorities after bids for Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur were rejected in January, with the former set to be entering the final 12 months of his Brighton contract in the summer.

In other news: Gary Neville slams 'clumsy' Villa man who lost the ball 13 times and lost 70% duels vs Newcastle.