Report: £20m Aston Villa target is leaving; club enter talks to sign his replacement

Marseille are in talks to sign Farid Boulaya as a replacement for the potentially Aston Villa bound Morgan Sanson, according to FootMercato.

As L’OM coach Andre Villas-Boas himself admitted, Sanson is a player who looks pretty much tailor-made for Premier League football.

Skilful and stylish but full of energy and industry, the £20 million-rated Frenchman will fit in nicely alongside John McGinn, Douglas Luiz and Jack Grealish in an already impressive Aston Villa midfield (Mail).

Dean Smith’s high-flying side have entered talks over a cut-price January deal for Sanson.

Marseille are open to offers given that the former Montpellier play-maker is due to become a free agent in 2022, with the Sun reporting that Newcastle and West Ham United are also interested.

• Report: West Ham and Newcastle eye Morgan Sanson
• 'Must listen to offers': Coach says reported £20m Aston Villa and Newcastle target may be sold

What’s more, Marseille are already pressing ahead in a deal for Sanson’s successor.

FootMercato claims that the Ligue 1 giants are in talks with the Metz number ten. Algeria international Boulaya is expected to cost around £6 million.

With football clubs all over France looking to scrimp and save due to a combination of COVID and the collapse of a billion dollar TV deal, Marseille look set to sell Sanson for a substantial sum before snapping up his replacement for a fraction of that fee.

From a financial perspective, this is good business.

In other news, Report: Tottenham could trigger £36m clause for midfielder who 'loves watching Ozil'