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Aston Villa make an approach for Lyon forward Moussa Dembele

  /  autty

Aston Villa have enquired about French forward Moussa Dembele with the Lyon star available for nothing in the summer.

Dembele is admired by Villa boss Unai Emery and has experience of British football, having played for both Fulham and Celtic.

The 26-year-old’s contract expires at the end of the season and he appears unlikely to sign a new one.

He has made only 14 appearances, scoring two goals, in a difficult campaign for Lyon but Emery has followed Dembele closely since he was in charge at Villarreal and has long been impressed by him.

Dembele’s contractual position means he would be available for a knockdown price in this window, with a fee even as low as £3million mooted.

It remains to be seen whether Villa – or another club – make their move now or wait until the summer, when there would be more competition for his signature.

Even though Villa agreed to sell Danny Ings to West Ham in a deal worth up to £15m on Thursday, Emery’s priority in this window remains a wide forward.

Villa’s smartest signing of recent times came from Ligue 1, with the capture of midfielder Boubacar Kamara on a free transfer last summer, after the midfielder had run down his contract with Marseille.

A deal for Dembele - who has also been offered to Everton - either in this month or at the end of the season would represent similarly smart business.

‘I want to balance the squad by trying to get another striker but only with the idea to improve us,’ said Emery on Thursday.