‘The plan is clear’ — Aston Villa ‘will bid again’ for 14-goal winger, Emery willing to sell £25m defender

Aston Villa are making big strides on the transfer market this summer as they look to build on their impressive Premier League run last season. After acquiring Youri Tielemans on a free move from Leicester City, they forked out £31.5 million for Pau Torres from Villarreal.

There are still targets to be considered this summer by Unai Emery and his side as well, so let’s take a look at some of Villa’s latest transfer updates.

Villa ‘will bid again’ for top target

Aston Villa recently had their first official bid for winger Moussa Diaby rejected by Bayer Leverkusen but transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has reported that the club will be returning with a counter-offer.

“Aston Villa will bid again for Diaby. The plan is clear,” he wrote on Twitter.

The first bid, a reported €35 million (£30m) plus add-ons, was turned down but talks remained active between the two sides. Diaby is said to be open to a move to the Premier League after impressing in the Bundesliga. The 24-year-old contributed 14 goals and 11 assists last season and played in every position across the front three, as well as in midfield.

Emery willing to part ways with defender

Emery has told the club’s board that he is willing to let Lucas Digne leave this summer as he does not see him as a key part of his squad moving forward, according to Football Insider.

The Frenchman only joined Villa last year but he has already lost his regular starting spot to Alex Moreno, who signed for the club from Real Betis in January. Digne made just six Premier League starts following the arrival of his left-back competition and now he has been put on the transfer list as the club look to cut down on their wage bill.

Villa signed Digne for a fee of £25 million and with three years left on his current contract, they could recoup a good amount of the money spent on him.