Aston Villa and Sunderland made approaches for Lens left-back Matthieu Udol this summer but were turned away by the French club.
Journalist Sebastien Denis reports that Udol was ‘highly sought-after’ this summer. Clubs from all around Europe approached asking about potential moves.
The French journalist states that AC Milan, Aston Villa and Sunderland approached the club for the left-back. Lens blocked all of these approaches. They refused to even entertain the idea of a departure.
Player didn’t push
Fortunately for them, the 30-year-old did not push for the move either. instead, he is fully focused on Ligue 1 and a season in the Champions League with Lens.
He is also eagerly anticipating the next international break. He was pre-selected by Didier Deschamps prior to the World Cup and is now waiting to see what Zinedine Zidane’s first squad looks like.
His chances of getting into that squad may have been increased if he’d moved to the Premier League, but Lens stopped that from happening.
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🩺 Came off with injury, but fears calmedhttps://t.co/Jm7eI9AhXQ #avfc #astonvilla— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) September 4, 2026
Aston Villa and Sunderland needs
Aston Villa, of course, needed a new left-back as they lost Lucas Digne to Paris Saint-Germain. That left them with just Ian Maatsen in the role, before they eventually signed Matteo Ruggeri from Atletico Madrid.
Sunderland, meanwhile, had only Reinildo at left-back before they signed Dayann Methalie from Toulouse. That deal proved to be a complicated one, though. The youngster initially failed a medical at the Stadium of Light.
That saw him sent back to France. He then underwent further tests on a back injury before Sunderland eventually sanctioned the deal.
Both of the Premier League sides, then, were on the hunt for a left-back this summer. It’s perhaps no surprise that they looked at Matthieu Udol. He had three goals and 10 assists last season for a Lens side who won the French cup and pushed PSG for the Ligue 1 title.
🚨 🔴🟡 #RCLens |
🎯 MATTHIEU UDOL ÉTAIT TRÈS CONVOITÉ CET ÉTÉ
🔒 Approché par l’AC Milan, Aston Villa et Sunderland, le solide gaucher a été bloqué par le RC Lens, qui n’a jamais voulu entendre parler d’un départ.
🇫🇷 Désormais pleinement focalisé sur la Ligue 1 et la Ligue… pic.twitter.com/GNCRTwmc8t
— Sébastien Denis (@sebnonda) September 4, 2026
