Marseille landed Patrice Evra on loan from Aston Villa with an option to buy this summer.
If Marseille opt to sign Jordan Amavi at the end of his season-long loan spell at the Stade Velodrome, Aston Villa will recoup the £10 million they paid Nice for his services two years ago, per the Birmingham Mail.
And the early signs are that the Ligue 1 giants could pull of a real bargain deal. After all, the highly-rated left-back is starting to show some of the form that once made him a regular in France’s Under-23 set-up.
While a 6-1 battering at Monaco, where Amavi was hooked at half-time, did not exactly show the full-back in the best light, Amavi has shown Marseille exactly why they were so keen to make him an integral part of their so-called ‘Champions Project’ in recent weeks.
According to WhoScored, he was the best player on the pitch in the 2-0 win at Amiens a fortnight ago and impressed again as Rudi Garcia’s side picked up another three point haul via the same scoreline against Toulouse on Sunday.
Patrice who?
And perhaps the most impressive feat is that Amavi is keeping veteran defender Patrice Evra out of the side altogether. The former Manchester United left-back is obviously well past his best at the age of 36 and has not featured since a nightmare performance in the 3-1 home defeat to Rennes earlier this month.
However, it’s a credit to Amavi’s sudden upturn in form that the 1993 Champions League winners have been able to replace Evra, who signed from Juventus in January, with minimal fuss. His influence at either end of the pitch has been replicated by an in-form Amavi who appears to have rediscovered the form that thrilled Villa fans after he arrived in 2015.
Not bad for a player who lost his place to Neil Taylor midway through last season.
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