Aston Villa to battle Man City plus five other Prem rivals for £25m Ligue 1 left-back

Aston Villa are reportedly poised to battle Premier League rivals for a new left-back this summer as Unai Emery prepares to take his side into the Champions League next season.

Victory over a Liverpool side who have been officially knocked out of the Premier League title race at Villa Park on Monday will secure their place before the final day of the season on Sunday. Needing something from the game at in-form Crystal Palace could complicate matters, with Tottenham still in contention as things stand.

But Villa are already making plans to strengthen their squad before what looks like being an exciting season. One report that has emerged suggests they are willing to challenge a number of Premier League rivals for a £25m-rated left-back.

The player in question is Bradley Locko. Journalist Alan Nixon, via GiveMeSport is suggesting Villa will go head to head with champions Manchester City for the 22-year-old Brest defender. Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, West Ham and Crystal Palace are said to be keeping an eye on the situation too.

Villa already have Alex Moreno and Lucas Digne in that position, but with both players now 30 years of age, it may be that Emery wants a more youthful option in that position.

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Locko has been a standout performer for Brest in Ligue 1 this season as they themselves launched an incredible bid to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history. Currently 3rd, they remain on course, and Locko has played 33 games with three assists to help them reach that point.

Villa are currently licking their wounds after a Europa Conference League semi-final defeat to Olympiacos last week, which denied them hope of a first European crown since the European Cup in 1982. Emery will hope they will soon get the chance to repeat the success from 42 years ago next season.

Villa set for ambitious summer

If they are to compete in the biggest competition in Europe, they will need to show plenty of ambition in the transfer market. Last summer, they broke their transfer record to sign Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen for £51m, as well as spending £45m on Spanish defender Pau Torres from Villarreal.

Diaby has shown glimpses of his quality with six league goals and seven assists in 36 games this season, complimenting top-scorer Ollie Watkins’ total of 31 goal contributions.

Signing Locko, given the amount of reported competition for his signature, could signal the start to a successful summer ahead of a very challenging season next year.

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