Unai Emery, the Villa manager, was in charge of the Frenchman at Arsenal and was asked about working with him again earlier this month, but said any incomings would be contingent on the Villains selling players first.
West Ham have joined Aston Villa in their pursuit of former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi, though a deal before the end of the current transfer window is unlikely.
The Frenchman arrived at Arsenal as an unknown from Lorient in 2018 and briefly shone before falling out of favour at the Emirates.
He moved on loan to Hertha Berlin and then permanently to Marseille, where he has transformed his career, shining for the Ligue 1 side enough to be named to France’s World Cup squad, which reached the final in Qatar over the weekend.
The 23-year-performances old’s have piqued the interest of Premier League clubs keen to bring him back to England, including West Ham and Aston Villa.
The Hammers are interested, according to French publication L’Equipe, after Foot Mercato reported Villa’s preference for Guendouzi.
Unai Emery, the Villa manager, was in charge of the Frenchman at Arsenal and was asked about working with him again earlier this month, but said any incomings would be contingent on the Villains selling players first.
‘I can’t speak about players potentially coming here because we haven’t done anything about it yet,’ Emery said earlier this month. ‘Of course, some players, if I know them, could be a good possibility to bring them and be with us.
‘At the moment, the club is hoping to strengthen its squad.
‘At the start, we discussed the possibility of some players leaving, and if, like Cameron Archer, he left first, we now have more players in the squad with this option.
‘If we can do it, we can add some players, but not specifically one name like Matteo.
‘The possibility is to improve and have a better balance in the squad with different profiles, and to try to improve the players in the team at all times.’
Marseille are not looking to sell, and Guendouzi is not desperate to leave, but a bid of around £40 million could get things moving for Guendouzi’s suitors.