Aston Villa have agreed a fee of £25m with Everton to sign defender Lucas Digne.
Villa have reached an agreement with Everton over the signing of the France international, who had expressed a desire to leave the Toffees following a fall-out with manager Rafael Benitez.
The 28-year-old’s arrival will be a significant coup for Villa, who have beaten off competition from a host of clubs – including Chelsea, Newcastle and West Ham – to secure the signing of the left-back.
Digne will now travel to the Midlands to undergo a medical, having agreed personal terms on a deal to join Steven Gerrard’s side. He will become Villa’s second signing of the January transfer window following the loan arrival of Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona.
Lucas Digne to Aston Villa from Everton, here we go! Agreement reached for €27m fee. Permanent move. Personal terms agreed today morning. 🤝🇫🇷 #AVFC
Digne is now traveling to Birmingham and will undergo his medical today. Another big one for Gerrard after Philippe Coutinho. pic.twitter.com/Gzm9y9tOYs
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 12, 2022
Digne has been regarded as one of the Premier League’s leading attacking full-backs in recent seasons, having provided seven assists for Everton last season.
Anwar El Ghazi had been discussed as a potential makeweight in the deal, but Everton’s demand for cash has now seen a £25m figure agreed with the deal nearing completion.
Sky Sports are reporting that Villa are also interested in signing Yves Bissouma from Brighton, with the midfielder – currently on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations with Mali – having just 18 months remaining on his contract at the Amex Stadium.
Everton have already signed Vitaliy Mykolenko from Dynamo Kyiv as a replacement for Digne, whilst the Toffees have also strengthened at right-back with the capture of Nathan Patterson from Rangers.
