Transfer source tells Villa how deal for Morgan Sanson can still happen

Morgan Sanson

Aston Villa have been told they remain in with a very good chance of signing Morgan Sanson, despite seeing their opening offer for the Marseille midfielder flatly rejected.

The 26-year-old midfielder has been on Villa’s radar for some time. Having watched him since their promotion in 2019, Dean Smith’s side made their move this week.

Villa are looking to add to their midfield after allowing Conor Hourihane depart for Swansea.

However, Villa reportedly saw an initial bid of €13m, plus €3m in bonuses, rejected by the Ligue 1 club.

According to TF1 journalist Julien Maynard, though, Villa remain hopeful of a deal. Indeed, Maynard claims that Villa and OM are continuing talks through Thursday to try and find some common ground.

Marseille, for their part, reportedly value the former France U21 midfielder at around €25m. While Villa are still some way short of that price, it’s believed an offer somewhere in the middle could secure the deal.

This corroborates an earlier report in La Provence. They state (as cited by Sport Witness) that Sanson remains keen on the move. Furthermore, they report that the player’s dream of playing in the Premier League remains very much alive.

In addition, Sanson is reported to have told Marseille he wants to leave and join Villa.

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Villa boss giving little away

Villa boss Smith was giving little away when questioned about Sanson earlier this week.

“There’s a lot of players I like. I won’t name check a player from another club,” he said.

Morgan Sanson, Bernardo Silva

“I’ve always said that this will be a quiet window for us. We are already planning for the summer window but we will never turn our noses down to a good deal.”

The Villa boss did admit that Hourihane wanted to move, despite Smith telling him he wanted him to stay.

Smith added: “There’s a possibility of some outs too [this month]. I’d like Conor Hourihane to stay but he’s come to see me a few times saying he wants to go out and play games.

“We will look at the possibility of clubs. It will be a loan until the end of the season.”

READ MORE: Bryan Robson gives his verdict on Man Utd pursuit of Jack Grealish

 

Morgan Sanson