Villa wrap up £15.5m deal for midfielder Sanson
VILLA have completed the signing of midfielder Morgan Sanson from Marseille for a fee reportedly in the region of £15.5 million.
The 26-year-old has signed a four-and-a-half-year deal, which is subject to international clearance.
Villa head coach Dean Smith said: “Morgan has performed consistently at the highest level in French football for a number of seasons, as well as in this season’s Champions League, and is a player with the quality and experience to play in any midfield position.
“He will add real competition for starting places and gives us more squad depth, which is vital to competing successfully in the Premier League.”
Smith added: “He is due to come in and train on Thursday, as I understand it. With Brexit there are restrictions on the need for a Visa so any player coming from Europe now is going to take longer than it used to.
“Once he comes in to train with us we’ll get a good idea after his first training session of where his fitness is. But his numbers are really good and he’s back to fitness and playing minutes.
“He’s been playing at the top of the French league for the last five to six seasons and we know he is robust enough to cope with the demands of the Premier League.
“His assets are his ability on the ball to see a pass. He can create, he can break things up, he has good legs and loads of energy around the midfield area, he is a hybrid player as well. He can play as a 10, eight or as a six. He certainly gives us a lot of room in the midfield area.”
Marseille boss Andre Villas-Boas left Sanson out of the squad to face Monaco on Saturday due to an expectation that the transfer would be completed.
Sanson joined Marseille from Montpellier in 2017 and scored 22 goals in 120 appearances for the club, featuring in the 2018 Europa League final against Atletico Madrid.