Sunderland and Lille among clubs ‘targeting’ loan move for Aston Villa flop

Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Sanson looks increasingly likely to leave the club this winter as a number of sides express interest in his services.

Sunderland, Swansea City, Lille and Strasbourg are all eager to snap Sanson up on a loan deal in January, according to Jeunes Footeux.

The Frenchman joined Villa from Marseille in January 2021 for £14 million and came with high expectations. However, he has since struggled with a recurring knee injury and has failed to impress Steven Gerrard as it nears his two-year mark since arrival.

Sanson is yet to make an appearance for Villa this season, finding himself behind the likes of Douglas Luiz and Leander Dendoncker in the pecking order. Reports claim that Sanson is now eager to live Villa Park in search of game time and could be allowed to leave on loan for the second half of the campaign.

With Lille and Strasbourg both interested in the 28-year-old, a return to France seems the most likely, though it clearly hasn’t prevented Sunderland and Swansea from looking to lure Sanson to the second tier of English football.

Sanson’s current contract with the Premier League club isn’t set to expire until summer 2025, so Villa will be hopeful that he can have a positive loan spell away so they can get a much improved midfielder upon his return or they can look to make a profit on him next year.