Aston Villa have made an offer for Marseille midfielder Matteo Guendouzi at the request of manager Unai Emery.
The 23-year-old made 33 Premier League appearances in Emery’s only full season in charge at Arsenal, and is part of Villa’s ambitious January transfer window plans.
It remains to be seen whether the bid for Guendouzi, capped seven times by France, will be accepted and he is waiting to see how talks between the two clubs materialise before negotiating personal terms.
Guendouzi has been a key player for Marseille this season, with the club locked in a fierce battle to finish in the top three in Ligue 1 as they look to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Villa are 11th in the Premier League but only seven points off the relegation zone. They are keen to make signings to help them move away from the drop zone and contend for a place in Europe.
The club are thought to be eyeing reinforcements in midfield having also been linked with Juventus’s Weston McKennie and Palmieras’s Danilo.
Real Betis left-back Alex Moreno is in advanced talks over a £12million move to Villa Park and is discussing personal terms to complete the move.
Moreno is not with the Betis squad for their Spanish Super Cup match against Barcelona on Thursday night, as he awaits the green light to travel to the UK.
Villa face a race to complete the deal in time for him to face Leeds on Friday night.
