Fabrizio Romano: Aston Villa to hold talks with Everton for Lucas Digne this week
Aston Villa are expected to hold talks with Everton to sign Lucas Digne permanently this week, according to reports from Fabrizio Romano.
The transfer expert has claimed on his Twitter account that the Frenchman is attracted to join Villa, but the two clubs are yet to agree on a transfer fee.
The 28-year-old has made 13 appearances in the Premier League this season but hasn’t featured since derby defeat against Liverpool last month.
Romano has provided an update on Twitter today: “Key week starting for Lucas Digne. New direct contacts will take place between Aston Villa and Everton to discuss fee on permanent move. Digne’s understood to be attracted by Villa but it’s not yet fully agreed between clubs. It’s still open.”
Inevitable
Digne is no longer part of Rafa Benitez’s plans and it looks likely that he will leave the club shortly.
Everton have already signed two full-backs in January – Vitaly Mykolenko and Nathan Patterson – and they have now depth in that region.
The likes of Chelsea and Newcastle also showed interest in the left-back. However, Digne reportedly demanded a £200,000 a week salary, which forced the Magpies to quit the race.
Romano previously reported that Chelsea are also out of the race, which leaves Aston Villa as the frontrunner in the chase to sign Digne.
Everton do not want a loan deal nor they are keen on a part-exchange deal as well. The Toffees have set a valuation of £30million for their defender [Sky Sports], and it remains to be seen how much Villa will offer for him.
As it stands, this week is going to be vital, and in all probability, the two clubs can reach an agreement for the player.
In other Everton news, this is what Lucas Digne did when Vitaliy Mykolenko was introduced v Brighton
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