Lucas Digne shares training update as Aston Villa exit rumours swirl
Lucas Digne has taken to social media to share an update of him in training amid rumours of his future potentially being set to lie away from Aston Villa this summer.
Digne has been with Villa since a January 2022 move from Everton, when he made the switch from Merseyside to the Second City for a reported fee of £25million [BBC].
The 52-time France international has been a mainstay at left-back for the Villans over the last few years amid their rise to the upper echelons of the Premier League under Unai Emery.
Ian Maatsen’s arrival at Villa from Chelsea last summer saw his game-time reduced in the 2024/25 season, however, and 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.
The Athletic stated in May that Digne’s representatives had received enquiries about his availability from elsewhere ahead of the summer window, and new claims have since emerged about his future, with his contract currently set to expire in 2026.
Digne shares training update amid Atletico Madrid interest
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.
Villa are believed to be holding out for £10m, while they keen to cash in on him this summer, but Digne is seemingly not letting any talk faze him as he prepares for a key season in which he will want to stake his claim to make France’s 2026 World Cup squad.
The left-back shared a training update to his Instagram stories on Friday (4 July), with a video of him running around a track and a caption of spark and rocket emojis.
Digne should only join Atletico to be their first-choice left-back
Football Insider verdict
At 31-years-old, and soon to be 32, you could be forgiven for thinking that Digne would be winding down a career that has seen him represent his country at three major tournaments and play in France, Italy, Spain and England.
It certainly does not seem that way, however, as he still made 45 appearances last season and was Emery’s go-to man at left-back in Villa’s brilliant Champions League run.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 138 | 4 | 17 |
The Frenchman certainly still has a lot to give, so it comes as no surprise to see Atletico interested in his services this summer.
Diego Simeone’s side have Champions League football and the potential to be in a title race on offer, but if he does harbour ambitions of making it to next year’s World Cup, then Digne should only join them if he is going to be first-choice.
Atleti have also been linked with a move for Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson, and so it looks as if they are weighing up their options ahead of an official approach for either player soon, but the Frenchman must make sure that he is going to be their main option if he does make the move back to La Liga.