Aston Villa are reportedly pursuing Lens midfielder Cheick Doucoure, but it’s suggested that a move could cost us around €15m.
Villa have been busy in this summer transfer window, as although we lost former skipper Jack Grealish, Dean Smith has seen Emiliano Buendia, Ashley Young, Leon Bailey, Danny Ings and Axel Tuanzebe added to his squad.
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As we look to try and make further progress and compete for a European qualification spot this season, the group is continuously improving and has become less reliant on one stand-out player, although there is arguably still work to be done in midfield to strengthen that area.
According to Goal France, Villa have contacted Doucoure’s representatives and presented our project to the 21-year-old himself, while it’s added that Lens will likely demand around €15m to give an exit the green light.
Further, Atalanta are also said to be interested, and so it remains to be seen if we face significant competition for Doucoure’s signature if we opt to lodge a formal bid.
Doucoure is a defensive midfielder who is capable of playing a key role in both phases of the game, while he has now made 95 appearances for Lens and has earned seven caps for Mali.
The youngster is the type of player that Smith is arguably missing in terms of adding more solidity and a physical presence in front of the backline, and so time will tell if he emerges as the ideal option to solve that particular issue.
Villa have been linked with other names over the course of the summer and so it seemingly is a department that they’ve identified as a possible weaker area, but time will tell if there is still business to be done for us in this window with our Premier League season opener against Watford fast approaching on Saturday.