Lucas Digne of Aston Villa
Lucas Digne of Aston Villa
Aston Villa left-back Lucas Digne has reportedly agreed to sign a new contract with the club, as he enters the final year of his existing deal. The French international, signed by from Everton in the January transfer window of 2022, has continued to be Unai Emery's preferred pick at left-back despite competition.
Indeed since succeeded in the autumn of 2022, the club has signed two left-backs in and Ian Maatsen; while the former is free to leave this summer, having been loaned to Nottingham Forest last year, the latter complemented Digne in the Premier League and Champions League last season and is tipped to establish himself in future.
, who turned 32 this summer, will reportedly pen fresh terms which run for three more seasons, until the summer of 2028. He has racked up almost 140 appearances for the Lions in the three and a half years he's spent in and has scored four goals, including a dramatic late winner at Luton Town in March of last year.
The defender has earned himself 52 international caps to date and, while at Villa, was recalled into the France squad by Didier Deschamps, who has handed him nine appearances during his Villa spell. Now, , he's verbally agreed to stay on at Villa, where his contract was due to expire next year.
He told Le Journal du Dimanche in June: "The Premier League is an incredibly intense championship, with top-level matches every weekend. I have one year left on my contract. I feel very comfortable there, but you know that in football anything can happen. I'm open to anything. When there's only one year left on my contract, everyone plays their part.
"In England, there is not the obsession with renewals like in France, the clubs are more financially secure even if Aston Villa will perhaps be sanctioned by Financial Fair Play and have to sell players before June 30. The directors want me to stay, that's clear and it's important for me."
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