Lucas Digne during the World Cup semi-final
Lucas Digne had a torrid time in the World Cup semi-final(Image: EYE4images/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)
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Lucas Digne is set to join Paris Saint-Germain after his World Cup campaign ends this weekend, with the French and European champions expected to activate the release clause in his contract.
Signed from Everton in a £25 million deal in January 2022, Digne has made 182 appearances for Aston Villa and helped the club win the Europa League last season.
A reliable servant over the past three seasons, Digne is a player Unai Emery does not want to lose. However, Villa are powerless to prevent the move due to the release clause in his contract.
Pervis Estupiñán is one of several options Villa have considered as a replacement, with the Ecuador international believed to be the club's primary target. Talks with AC Milan have reportedly been opened over a potential deal.
Speaking on Claret & Blue, John Townley discussed the difficulty Villa could face in replacing Digne.
"Lucas Digne has actually been a very underrated Villa player over the last few years,” he said. “He's been very solid. At the same time, though, he hasn't had good enough competition.
“We've seen Maatsen show flashes of what he can do, but it hasn't been enough. That Burnley game last season worried me a lot. He looked like a player who had lost confidence.
“You shouldn't be beaten as many times as Maatsen was by Loum Tchaouna that day. And obviously, it wasn't the first time that's happened. So that worried me.
“We spoke earlier in the summer, didn't we, about which players Villa could sell to bring in money? One of the names was Maatsen. If Digne goes instead, I assume you'd keep Maatsen.
“But he has to show us something next season. And I'm talking about in the first half of the season, because then you've got January as well. We can't just let an asset depreciate.
“I hope he doesn't, but I'm worried that could happen. All of a sudden, we're left with a player who cost us a lot of money, although it was a bit of a PSR deal.
“We've obviously got a number of targets, as is always the case. We spoke about this yesterday. You'll have several players lined up for each position in case three of them turn you down or whatever.
“Maatsen would have to improve and Estupinan - if signed - would have to stay fit, obviously, while also showing more than he did at AC Milan. He did well in the Premier League with Brighton.”
John Townley
John Townley
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