Football
Exclusive: Lucas Digne Set for Villa Exit with Atletico and West Ham in the Frame
Aston Villa are looking to sell France international defender Lucas Digne to Atletico Madrid for £8-10million, with West Ham also interested. Digne, 31, has one year left on his contract and commands a £120,000 weekly wage. Villa are looking for cover, with Andy Robertson their preferred target. Galatasary and West Ham are also linked. Digne played 32 PL games last season, reaching the CL quarter-finals. Villa boss Emery is looking to lower the wage bill and freshen the squad for next season.
France Portraits - UEFA Nations League 2025 Finals by Franco Arland - UEFA | Getty Images
Aston Villa are in talks with Atletico Madrid about selling experienced France international defender Lucas Digne this summer for between £8-10million, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
But our sources have learnt Premier League rivals West Ham have also been keeping tabs on the player.
The 31-year-old left-back has one year left on his Villa contract and our sources have learnt he commands a £120,000 weekly wage.
Villa are happy to sell the 52-cap international providing they can find cover at the back, with Liverpool’s Andy Robertson understood to be the club’s preferred target.
Scotland international Robertson is surplus to requirements at Anfield after the Reds swooped to sign left-back Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth.
He is now looking for the next chapter in a distinguished career as he enters the final year of his current contract.
And so is Digne having been told that he can leave as the club look to claw back some of the £18million they paid for the defender in August 2018.
Villa boss Unai Emery is believed to be keen to lower the substantial wage bill at Villa Park, especially with strict spending guidelines now in place in the Premier League.
Turkish giants Galatasary have also been heavily linked with the former Everton man, especially when it emerged that Villa were not going to offer the player a new deal.
The Hammers have also expressed an interest in Digne's move, with behind-the-scenes discussions having rumoured to have taken place.
KEY VILLA PERFORMER
Digne was a key player for Villa last season, playing 32 times in the Premier League for the Birmingham-based club.
He also played an important role as Villa reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League, as well as playing for France in the Nations League.
In all Digne has played 109 Premier League games for Villa and has been a regular starter during his four seasons with the club.
But boss Emery is looking to freshen his squad ahead of next season and an impressive sixth-place finish last time out.
Villa having only strengthened this summer with the signing of Turkish defender Yasin Ozcan from Turkish Super Lig side Kasimpasa.
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.