Aston Villa, Newcastle and Norwich chase £5m-rated Ligue 1 defender

Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Norwich City are all reportedly interested in signing former Sunderland transfer target Lamine Kone.

The Premier League trio, who are currently fighting it out at the bottom of the league standings, have been put on high alert after the Ivory Coast international’s proposed £5m switch to the Stadium of Light suddenly collapsed.

The 26-year-old, who has four international caps for his country, has made 16 league appearances for Ligue 1 outfit Lorient so far this season.

Despite having a bid accepted for the Ivorian centre-half; Sunderland pursued and completed a deal for Bayern Munich defender Jan Kirchhoff instead on Thursday.