Aston Villa have made an opening bid of £10 million for reported Arsenal target Cheick Doucoure but RC Lens want more for the highly rated midfielder, according to Made In Lens.
At this stage, every man and his dog knows the Midlands giants have money to burn and the ambition to match.
And that could make their attempts to spend those Jack Grealish riches all the more difficult.
Imagine you own a football club and Aston Villa want to sign one of your star players. Knowing they have £100 million in their back pocket, surely you’re going to demand that little bit more, turning a £20 million player into a £30 million player, and so on.
Now, there’s no suggestion this is what Lens are doing.
But the Ligue 1 outfit were never going to let one of the best young midfielders in France leave for just £10 million, turning down an opening offer from Villa Park.
It’s understood Lens will demand about £6 million more for the Mali international.
Aston Villa told to increase Doucoure offer
What is more, the Ligue 1 club is under no pressure to sell Doucoure.
Lens have already boosted their coffers by bringing in about £20 million for the so-called ‘new Raphael Varane’, selling Loic Bade to top-flight rivals Rennes a few weeks ago.
Made In Lens backs previous claims made by Goal France, which states Arsenal have made an enquiry about the deep-lying, tough-tackling midfielder, who bears comparisons to Thomas Partey.
The Gunners apparently see Doucoure as someone capable of acting as a willing understudy to the influential yet increasingly injury-prone former Atletico Madrid star.
As it stands, however, Aston Villa are in pole position, firming up their initial interest and making a bid – albeit one that falls substantially short of Lens’ demands.
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