Atletico Madrid targeting surprise move for Aston Villa defender Jordan Amavi

Aston Villa defender Jordan Amavi looks set to leave the Championship club this summer amid interest from Spanish giants Atletico Madrid, according to L’Equipe (via Sport Witness).

The 23-year-old moved to Villa Park back in the summer of 2015 after impressing at Ligue 1 side Nice, although just three months in his stint in the Midlands, he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury, and thus missed the remainder of their disastrous Premier League campaign.

However, the former France Under-21 international started 26 of Villa’s 46 Championship games this season, although hasn’t always performed at a high level, and now it appears that his stay at Villa Park is coming to an end.

And that’s because L’Equipe report that Diego Simeone’s Atletico are willing to end his Villa misery by securing a deal for the 23-year-old this summer, with initial discussions having already taken place, alongside reportedly ‘continuous contact’ between the two parties.

Villa turned down a £25 million bid for Amavi in the winter, but appear to be willing to let him leave this summer as manager Steve Bruce looks to build a squad capable of returning the club to the Premier League.

The Villans finished 13th in their first season in the Championship, and will certainly need some reinforcements over the summer to challenge for promotion next season.

However, it doesn’t appear as though Amavi will be part of that rebuilding process.