Aston Villa have agreed a deal with Everton for feft back Lucas Digne, worth £23M plus add-ons.
Digne has been looking for a way out of Merseyside after falling out with new manager Rafa Benitez and it appears that Villa is that way out.
Signing for the Toffee’s back in 2017, Digne has created the most chances out of anyone in the team and also recorded the most assists.
Everton have signed 22-year-old Vitaliy Mykolenko as a replacement and while the Ukraine international has experience in the Champions League, he clearly can’t match Digne’s quality and experience at this moment in time.
Birmingham Live’s John Townley, says Villa have to spend to break into the top six.
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“Gerrard’s probably said to the board the quality of players we have are good enough to finish mid table but if you want to be cracking that top six you have to spend money, not just on transfer fees but wages as well.”
“They know they have to change their wage structure and be more competitive in the market to be in a more competitive situation to crack those to seven places in the years to come.”
Steven Gerrard wants his side to be more of a possession-based team, and with the quality that Frenchman possesses, it’s certainly a step in the right direction.
Both on and off the ball, Digne shines in comparison to his team mate to be in Matt Targett, with the current Villa man only bettering in interceptions.

“Matt Targett can do similar things, but not to as good as a level and if you can get that 10% attacking output for £25M then it’s a deal worth doing,” explains Townley.
“For Matt Targett and the rest of the team this signing is a big message, if you want to get into the top seven positions then you need two good players in each position, so for Matt Targett it will certainly be different.”
Villa fans will certainly be exited by the recent signings, with the 28 year old currently in his prime, his quality on set pieces is something that Villa have missed ever since they sold Jack Grealish to Manchester City for £100M last summer.
The fullback who has 43 caps for France, is expected to arrive in Birmingham on Wednesday afternoon to complete his medical, but he’s not expected to start against Manchester United this weekend.
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The club have also been linked to Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Yves Bissouma, who has entered the final 18 months left on his deal at the AMEX.
Villa have certainly made their intentions clear this January transfer window, but we’ll have to wait and see if their big name signings click with the rest of the squad.