It’s already been a very productive summer for Aston Villa in regards to transfers.
The Premier League side have splurged some £42 million on Matty Cash and Ollie Watkins, the latter of whom scored a debut goal against Manchester United during a friendly this afternoon.
But Aston Villa survived relegation by just the one point last season and therefore Dean Smith might need further reinforcements to ensure a more comfortable second year in the Premier League.
And if rumours are believed, they’re trying to sign Bertrand Traore now.
According to French outlet Foot Mercato, Aston Villa have made a £15.7 million offer for the 25-year-old Lyon winger, but the Ligue 1 giants have rejected it.
The report adds that the French side want at least £23 million for the former Chelsea youth, who joined them back in 2017.
Traore is an old team-mate of former Aston Villa defender Gary Cahill in West London.
And here’s what the legendary centre-back said to BBC Sport about him seven years ago: “I know the quality of the training we do and lads like Traore have come into the games and not looked out of place, which is great. We don’t want to get carried away, but he’s certainly not looked out of place in training alongside some top international players.”
The Burkina Faso international struggled at Stamford Bridge overall, only making 10 Premier League appearances.
But his prospects have looked brighter back in France, with Traore scoring 21 goals in 87 senior games for Lyon since joining in 2017.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
