As we all know, Islam Slimani was a very wanted man during the January transfer window.
Clubs from all over Europe were after the Algeria international, currently at Monaco on loan from Leicester City.
Manchester United and Tottenham were two big names in the Premier League who tried to bring him in, and yet it appears Aston Villa were the most persistent.
At least, that’s what France Football on Monday are reporting in their weekly magazine.
We covered a number of reports suggesting the Villains were indeed keen on the Leicester loanee, but the way the French outlet put it, it was a bit more than a rejected bid and moving on.
They state Dean Smith (they call him Alan, easy mistake to make….) ‘tried everything’ to convince Slimani to choose Villa Park over other destinations, but he just wasn’t able to convince him to make the switch.
After all, when big clubs like those mentioned above are after you, it seems natural to hold off and see what happens.
In the end, Leicester’s and Monaco’s demands were apparently the reasons behind Slimani staying in the principality, and Aston Villa turned their attention elsewhere.
