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'Bid prepared' - Aston Villa make first move to sign £40m Man City target as Unai Emery plan…

Unai Emery is ready to sanction a £40 million bid for a priority Aston Villa transfer target.

Aston Villa have reportedly made their first official approach to sign LOSC Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier after being given the green light by Unai Emery to do so. The Villans are preparing for the likely departure of current shot-stopper Emiliano Martinez and Chevalier, who has been on the club’s shortlist for a while, is seemingly the first choice.

Chevalier recently took home the Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the Season award following an outstanding campaign in the French top tier. Only Stade Rennais shot-stopper Brice Samba kept more clean sheets than Chevalier’s 11 last term and only four others in the division were ever-present as he was for Lille.

French journalist Julian Laurens reports Villa are stepping up their interest in Chevalier and are planning a £40 million bid. The first move is said to have been made with initial talks underway with Lille, though there’s expected to be competition from other clubs as the likes of Manchester City, Newcastle United and Manchester United have been linked.

In the case of Man City, current first-choice goalkeeper Ederson is reportedly being lined up for a transfer to the Saudi Pro League. Pep Guardiola has identified Chevalier as a potential replacement for Ederson, though a bid isn’t expected to be made unless their Brazil international leaves.

Villa hurried to sign Chevalier

There aren’t many better options available on the market to replace Martinez, so Villa are understandably eager to get negotiations kick-started before another club makes an official swoop. It won’t be easy to get a deal done too soon as Villa need to make sales rather than purchases before the PSR deadline on June 30, but getting the initial conversations out of the way could save precious time later down the line.

Chevalier could be a truly superb signing as he’s already ready to take the reins from Martinez. The season just gone wasn’t Chevalier’s first in the big time as the 23-year-old has been starting in Ligue 1 for three successive campaigns now. Since making his French top flight debut in 2022, Chevalier has conceded exactly one goal per game (127 in 127 matches) and kept 44 clean sheets.

Only Marcin Bulka, Djordje Petrovic and Yehvann Diouf could boast better save percentages in Ligue 1 than Chevalier (72.7% ) last season. That’s certainly not a bad return for a relatively inexperienced goalkeeper – and he’ll only get better as the years go on.

Chevalier outlines Premier League dream

The player himself would be keen on the move as he’s desperate to play in the Premier League to improve his chances of becoming France’s new number one goalkeeper, ahead of AC Milan’s Mike Maignan. Chevalier, who is good friends with Villa left-back Lucas Digne, has spoken publicly about his desire to move to England.

The Premier League? It’s a league that makes you dream, the most attractive,” Chevalier said last month, via Sport Witness. ”When you see Tottenham and Manchester United struggling with crazy players, you can see the level a bit. I haven’t had any specific offers from this country, but it makes you think."

Villa could make Chevalier’s dream a reality, though signing the Lille man for as much as £40 million would mean more sales would need to be made in addition to Martinez to balance the books. It’s a complicated situation but one that’s expected to develop.

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