Aston Villa made a bid to sign Angers midfielder Baptiste Santamaría in the January transfer window but saw the French club turn down their advances.
That’s according to ABC Sevilla, who say Villa made a €10m bid for the midfielder, who has been labelled ‘the white Kanté’.
Santamaría has been earning rave reviews for his performances in Ligue 1 over the last two seasons, with stats showing he is the player to have ran the most kilometres per game this season as well as topping the overall chart last season.
His performances have not gone unnoticed around Europe, with the 24-year-old earning attention from England, Spain, Italy and France already.
That was rejected by Angers, with Villa seemingly not coming back for a second bite of the cherry as their bid ‘did not exceed’ that €10m.
There is every chance their interest could be revived in the summer but, if it is, ABC say that offer will have to be ‘widely exceeded’ for any move to happen.
They will also face competition for his signature, with Sevilla and Villarreal known admirers and watching him closely.
Whether Aston Villa do make a second move remains to be seen, with it likely to depend on whether they can secure their Premier League status next season first.
