Morgan Sanson tipped by Kevin Phillips to leave Aston Villa this summer

Aston Villa could fund a move for Wilfred Ndidi or Yves Bissouma by selling Morgan Sanson, former striker Kevin Phillips has suggested.

Villa are thought to be handing a £50million transfer budget to manager Steven Gerrard this summer, with his targets in mind.

Purchasing Leicester City star Ndidi or Brighton’s Mali international Bissouma could eat significantly into that kitty and Sanson might well be out-of-favour.

Frenchman Sanson, a £14million buy from Marseille last year, hasn’t kicked a ball for Villa since his angry reaction to being substituted, against Manchester United, on January 15.

Boss Gerrard hasn’t turned to Sanson despite going through the worst run of his managerial career, with just one win in seven games ahead of today’s clash with Watford.

There are some suggestions that Sanson may start this afternoon, but new recruits may well push him down thehe pecking order.

Sanson may be shown the door at the end of the season, says Phillips, who spent just one full campaign at Villa himself in 2005-06.

Phillips told the Football Insider: “Steven Gerrard is clearly not afraid to make the big calls and big decisions. He will do what is right for the football club going forward.

“He let Matt Targett go (on loan to Newcastle) when he brought Lucas Digne in (from Everton) after Targett was Player of the Season.

“If you’ve got a player who storms off, is then not starting and on the bench, that’s a sure sign that the club will start to look at other players to come in and do that role. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was to move on.”