{{primary_category}}
{{/primary_category}} 
Personal terms agreed: 25-year-old on the verge of £4.5m Aston Villa transfer - report
By Danny Wright
Jordan Veretout has agreed personal terms with St. Etienne for a transfer away from Aston Villa, according to a report.
The Birmingham Mail claims that the midfielder has accepted a four-year contract offer from the Ligue 1 club after Villa accepted a £4.5million offer for his services.
The Express and Star has previously reported that the Championship club were holding out for £7million for the 25-year-old, but it now looks as though they’ve reluctantly accepted to take a big loss on a player they signed for £9million in 2015 from Nantes.
Veretout spent last season on loan with St. Etienne, and looks to have impressed them so much that it has merited a permanent deal with the club.
He helped them reach the knock-out stages of the Europa League as he made 43 appearances across all competitions, scoring four goals and supplying five assists.
Get Exclusive transfers news at Football Insider's YouTube TV channel
Veretout is one of a number of poor signings made by Aston Villa prior to their relegation from the Premier League.
He played just 29 times for the Villains but failed to score as he provided five assists.
Football Insider Verdict
Aston Villa are yet to spend any money on transfer fees this summer. John Terry was a free agent while Sam Johnstone has signed on loan. The £4.5million could go a long way in helping Bruce secure a vital first-team player that could really helped the Villains earn promotion back to the Premier League. Bruce has a strong defence and midfield on his hands, but should really be looking to strengthen his options in wide attacking areas. Jack Grealish is too inconsistent while Leandro Bacuna and Albert Adomah aren’t the type of players who you’d expect to win the Championship next season. Academy product Andre Green is an option, but Bruce needs to get an experienced head in that area.
In other Aston Villa news, the Championship title contenders are set to seal their third signing of the summer within the next two days.
We’ve launched a << BREAKING NEWS FEED>> exclusively for your club. ‘Like Us’ on Facebook by clicking here if you want 24/7 updates on all Aston Villa breaking news.