Lucas Digne told he ‘has to leave’ Aston Villa after Galatasaray transfer update
One of Lucas Digne or Alex Moreno “has to leave” Aston Villa before the August transfer deadline after new developments, according to Alan Hutton.
Reports from Turkey had suggested that Galatasaray had agreed a deal with the Villans to sign Digne this summer, but the French defender quickly labelled the speculation untrue [Yağız Sabuncuoğlu, 7 August].
The journalist quickly hit back at the 31-year-old over social media, sharing an image of a proposal sent by the European club requesting permission to hold preliminary talks with the left-back [Yağız Sabuncuoğlu, 7 August].
Although a move to Galatasaray seems to be off of the table, Hutton believes one of Digne or Moreno will be forced to exit Villa Park this summer as Ian Maatsen will now be Unai Emery’s first-choice left-back.
“Either or at this moment of time,” Hutton exclusively told Villa News.
“I know Galatasaray have been interested and he kind of fought back against it and said that he wouldn’t be leaving.
“If there aren’t any suitors at this moment in time, it is probably best for someone, either Moreno or him to go out on loan because you don’t need three left-backs.
“I understand that last year, even though I sometimes find it a bit strange, Unai Emery rotated the fullbacks quite often even in-game and he must have been looking for something different, but I don’t think you need three.
“They’ve paid a lot of money for Maatsen to come in and I think he probably will be the starter with someone else, probably Moreno, backing him up.
“So one has to leave, we’ll see how it pans out but whether it’s a loan or permanent it needs to happen for one of them.”
Will Lucas Digne exit Aston Villa after Galatasaray transfer update?
As Hutton suggests, it is clear that one of Digne or Moreno has to exit before the transfer deadline. What isn’t yet clear however is which one of the two players is more likely to depart Villa Park.
Digne was used more regularly last term and did impress at Emery’s side qualified for the Champions League, but his wages are understood to be higher and he’s less likely to be willing to play second fiddle to Maatsen.
Moreno also shone when he was fit and available. However, his injury record will be a cause for concern as last season he missed large portions of the campaign while he was stuck on the treatment table.
Emery has a big decision to make before the end of August. It will be interesting to see how the former Arsenal manager approaches the final few weeks of the transfer window ahead of the new season.
In other Aston Villa news, Amadou Onana’s role at Villa Park has been mooted following his big-money move from Everton
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