Aston Villa defender Lucas Digne is reportedly undergoing his medical ahead of a move to Paris Saint-Germain in a deal worth just less than €10m.
The 33-year-old has been a fundamental presence in our squad since joining us from Everton in 2022, as he has gone on to make 182 appearances for the club since.
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In addition to his defensive work, which has often allowed him to fend off competition for a starting spot and be a regular name in the line-up, he contributed four goals and 24 assists in those outings, and particularly under Unai Emery, he has been a key factor in our success over the last few years.
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However, it appears as though his time at Villa could be coming to an end, as after heavy speculation over the past week or so, reporter Fabrice Hawkins via RMC Sport has revealed that Digne is now undergoing his medical ahead of joining PSG, and while he will sign a three-year contract with the French giants, Villa are expected to receive just under €10m in the transfer after a clause was triggered in his contract.
Given his age, big wages and the rebuild that is seemingly taking place this summer at Villa, the deal makes a lot of sense as it’s a decent fee for a 33-year-old, Villa continue to reduce our wage bill in order to comply with financial regulations, and it opens the door for Ian Maatsen to emerge as our first-choice left-back moving forward.
Rumours would suggest that a new signing will be made to fill the void left behind by Digne, and that no doubt makes sense as Emery will want two top options in every position to be able to rotate and compete across multiple competitions.
Nevertheless, it makes sense from a Villa perspective to allow Digne to move on at this stage, but the Frenchman will certainly be remembered fondly having played an instrumental part in bringing Champions League football to the club and ending our trophy drought last season after our Europa League triumph.
