Lucas Digne sends one-word message amid Aston Villa exit rumours
Aston Villa defender Lucas Digne has issued a one-word message to supporters amid rumours that he could depart Villa Park this summer.
Digne was a mainstay at left-back for the Villans in his first few seasons at the club, but Ian Maatsen’s arrival at Villa from Chelsea last summer meant he faced tough competition for starts in the 2024/25 season.
The 52-time France international joined Villa from Everton in January 2022 for a reported fee of £25million [BBC], and he has been a key player under Emery over the last few years.
Unai Emery’s side’s failure to reach the Champions League for next term could mean that Digne is on his way out of the club soon, after The Athletic stated in May that his representatives had received enquiries about his availability from elsewhere ahead of the summer window.
Football Insider revealed on 20 June that Digne had opened talks over a move to join Spanish giants Atletico Madrid, with the La Liga outfit prepared to make an opening bid of £8m for the 31-year-old, so it certainly looks like his future lies away from the Second City.
Digne shares one-word pre-season update
Villa are believed to be holding out for £10m from Atletico, but they will surely be keen to cash in on him this summer after football finance expert Dan Plumley told Football Insider on Friday (11 July) that the Villans will be forced to sell at least one or two players to try and avoid further sanctions from UEFA after a recent fine.
He is still a Villa player for now, however, and is back in training at Bodymoor Heath after being given an extended break by Emery due to being on international duty last month.
Digne moved to share an update to Instagram on Wednesday (16 July), with a picture of him in action alongside the short caption: “Warming” with a fire emoji followed by a purple heart and a blue heart.
Aston Villa should not sell Digne
Football Insider verdict
With just one year left on his contract, it is easy to see why Villa have been touted with moving Digne on this summer, but with another European campaign on the horizon, it would arguably make little sense to sell him right now.
BirminghamLive have recently reported that boss Emery would like to keep him given his strong form over the past two seasons, but wage reduction is a priority after their recent UEFA fine, and so it is possible that he leaves.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 138 | 4 | 17 |
With that said, selling a player like him who would instantly need to be replaced, and has a much smaller market value than other Villa assets, would not make much sense.
Instead, letting a homegrown player who is arguably easier to replace, like Nottingham Forest-linked Jacob Ramsey, leave this summer, might well be the better option for the club right now, as it would go a long way to helping them financially and also give them more money to put back into the squad going forward.