Aston Villa are demanding only £5 million for Frederic Guilbert as the Frenchman closes in on a return to France with Ligue 1 outfit Nantes, according to L’Equipe.
Guilbert’s swashbuckling style and adventurous approach made him something of a cult hero on the Holte End last season.
In the dramatic EFL Cup semi-final victory against Leicester City and the 1-0 triumph over Arsenal that all-but secured Villa’s Premier League survival, the rampaging right-back produced two of the best performances of his life.
But Guilbert also made his fair share of defensive blunders in claret and blue – while you can only take so many wild 30-yard shots that fly miles over the bar.
With Aston Villa paying £16 million to sign Matty Cash from Nottingham Forest last week, it seems there’s one right-back too many at Villa Park.
And it is Guilbert, rather than the older Ahmed Elmohamady, who looks set to make way.
L’Equipe claims the Midland giants are demanding about £5 million for the former France U21 international, who signed for them in January 2019.
A Nantes side that finished 13th in Ligue 1 last season has made an approach, with Guilbert open to the idea of moving across the Channel after only 12 months in Dean Smith’s first-team plans.
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