Promotion back to the Premier League is all well and good, but joining (or rejoining in Aston Villa’s case) England’s top-tier means reinforcements are needed.
In the Villains’ case, a new defensive midfielder could be on the cards, as Manu Lonjon, a journalist for Yahoo! Sport in France, reports Dean Smith’s side are ‘hot’ on Baptiste Santamaria.
Currently contracted to Angers in Ligue 1, the 24-year-old appears to have attracted interest from the newly promoted side, although no other details are given.
https://twitter.com/ManuLonjon/status/1144546299519361024?s=20
He played in every single game, showing consistency along the way, starting 37 out of a potential 38 matches.
There is no indication as to how much Santamaria would cost, but considering his importance to the team and the three years left on his current deal, Angers could be reluctant to let him go, meaning Aston Villa might have to go as high as an eight-figure sum to convince them.
That’s by no mean a fact, but simply an observation on how the market is going and that the Ligue 1 side held out for £17m from Villarreal to let Karl Toko Ekambi go last summer.
