Adrien Rabiot
Adrien Rabiot could be available - and Villa have been credited with an interest
Aston and West Ham United have both reportedly presented offers to French international midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who has been cleared to leave Ligue 1 side Marseille after what was described as an 'altercation' between him and teammate Jonathan Rowe in training.
Rabiot, 30, has a decorated CV having previously enjoyed spells at Paris Saint-Germain, where he came through the club's academy, and then Juventus, before he returned to France with OM last summer. He has won 17 trophies, including six league titles across his spells with PSG and Juve.
Things could be ending in Marseille after a single season, however; reports emerged recently that Rabiot was involved in a clash with teammate, former star and England under 21 international Rowe, who himself has moved out of the club and joined Italian side Bologna.
"In a workplace, we have two employees fighting like in an English pub, with a teammate on the ground because he had lost consciousness," Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi told French reporters when describing the incident. "What should the employer do in France? There are two solutions, either suspension or dismissal.
"A clear decision [was made] - to remove the players from the squad while waiting to see how they feel. In a football club, as everywhere else, there must be a hierarchy. The club comes first."
Villa and West Ham have 'submitted proposals' to Rabiot, in the event he wishes to explore an opportunity to move to England and test himself in the Premier League. It's added that communications between Rabiot's camp and OM have broken down despite De Zerbi's efforts to reintegrate him into training.
What is Villa's transfer priority before the deadline?
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