Aston Villa left-back Lucas Digne is reportedly attracting interest from Nottingham Forest, but his wages could be problematic in talks.
The 29-year-old was signed by former boss Steven Gerrard in January last year, and has gone on to make 47 appearances for the club.
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However, he played an increasingly limited role in the second half of last season following the arrival of Alex Moreno in January, with the Spaniard establishing himself as Unai Emery’s first-choice at left-back.
Prior to Moreno’s injury which ruled him out of our last two games last season, Digne went 12 games on the bench, and while his teammate will likely miss the start of the new campaign with that same setback, the expectation is that he will remain second choice moving forward.
According to The Telegraph’s Jonathan Percy, Forest are said to be interested in Digne, but his wages are touted as a likely issue in negotiations, with the Frenchman believed to be among the top earners at Villa.
That is ultimately one of the key reasons as to why Villa may be open to moving Digne on this summer, as if he is to continue in a bit-part role, while he’s experienced and offers quality, that is an expensive back-up option to have which can be replaced with a capable alternative in a more cost-effective way.
In turn, time will tell if talks with Forest lead to any progress on that front to allow him to move on, but Emery has been clear on wanting top competition and depth in every position in his squad, and he does currently have that at left-back.
Whether or not he’s willing to disrupt that remains to be seen, but Digne will likely have an important part to play at the start of the new campaign, with Moreno continuing his recovery from that hamstring injury which could rule him out for a handful of our opening games.