Premier League Everton, Spurs and Leicester City are all reportedly keen on signing the ‘new N’Golo Kante’ Baptiste Santamaria from Ligue 1 outfit Angers.
Angers could be tempted to sell Baptiste Santamaria for a bargain £13 million this summer as Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City look to sign one of Ligue 1’s most influential players, according to AreaNapoli.
Look away now Aston Villa fans.
With Dean Smith’s side shipping goals at an alarming rate and falling to second bottom in the Premier League as a result, it’s fair to say they could have done with a tough-tackling defensive midfielder like Santamaria protecting a famously vulnerable backline.
Villa saw a bid of £9 million rejected in January (ABC Sevilla). But if they were willing to raise that offer by a further £4 million, the Midland giants could have landed a player with some of the best running and tackling stats in Europe.
New reports on Friday suggest that Angers will listen to offers of around £13 million for a man who has been likened to a young N’Golo Kante in France. Leicester are apparently attempting to replicate one of the Premier League’s most inspired signings, according to The Express, with Everton and Tottenham keen too.
What’s more Santamaria himself has already admitted, via Telefoot, that he plans to leave Angers in the off-season.
The Toffees never managed to fill an Idrissa Gana Gueye-shaped void in their midfield last summer, although Jean-Philippe Gbamin will return from injury eventually.
Santamaria could be the best man for the job, however, with the 25-year-old also looking every inch the kind of ‘positional’ number six Jose Mourinho so obviously needs at Spurs.
By the time the summer window swings open, however, Aston Villa could be preparing for life back in the Championship.
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