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Lucas Digne exit news emerges at Aston Villa as 'mega-rich' Al-Hilal seek transfer deal
Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal are interested in signing Lucas Digne from Aston Villa, according to The Mirror.
The newspaper reported in its print edition (4 August, pg 55) that the “mega-rich” club could offer an exit to the £25million full-back who was signed by former Villa boss Steven Gerrard in 2022.
The France international is not guaranteed to start at Villa as Alex Moreno is Unai Emery’s preferred choice at left-back.
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While Digne could still provide Villa with good cover going into the new season if a good offer comes in from Saudi they should cash in.
Digne’s game time in the Villa side fizzled out towards the end of the season as the former Everton man found himself playing a bench role for the second half of the campaign.
Alex Moreno has also come in as Emery’s preferred choice with the Spaniard after joining in January, so Digne’s role at Villa has been under scrutiny since.
While the influence of Saudi sides continues to be a running theme throughout this transfer window, Digne could link up with former Premier League stars Ruben Neves and Kalidou Koulibaly at Al-Hilal.
Villa will no doubt look to add more signings before the end of the window, so a decent fee for Digne could go a long way in achieving other transfer goals. With a reported £8.5million yearly salary, getting the Frenchman off the wage bill would certainly free up Villa to make more signings and spend this money more wisely on a starter.
Digne may feel he has a chance to break back into the first team, especially considering the extra fixtures Aston Villa will have next season if they have a good European campaign. A player with Digne’s experience and quality could be handy, but a sizeable fee could easily make these benefits less important.
With the likes of Ezri Konsa able to fill that full-back role, perhaps it is time for Digne to move on.
In other Aston Villa news, an England international free agent could become a club’s top earner amid Villa interest.