Aston Villa were heavily linked with a move for Le Havre’s French defender Harold Moukoudi in the summer transfer window, with a move to Villa Park seemingly imminent.
However, a move failed to materialize and he remained with French side Le Havre. Now, with the transfer window open again, reports linking Moukoudi with a move away have re-emerged and Aston Villa are one of many clubs eyeing up a move.
French newspaper L’Equipe report that Aston Villa, are amongst a host of prestigious European clubs to be keen on the defender. Spanish side Sevilla, German duo Borussia Dortmund and VfL Wolfsburg and Italian giants Napoli are all rumoured to be interested, along with French quartet Lyon, Saint-Etienne, Rennes and Nice.
Premier League side West Ham are also rumoured to be interested in the defender. Aston Villa’s Championship promotion rivals Middlesbrough were interested in Moukoudi in the summer transfer window. However, it is unknown whether they will continue their pursuit in the current window.
The Bondy-born defender made his way into the Le Havre side after playing for a wide selection of youth academies in the early stages of his career. Moukoudi has already played for Le Havre on 63 occasions at just 21-years-old. He made his professional debut back in October 2016, aged just 16.
Aston Villa have struggled with defensive issues massively throughout the first half of the season and that is much down to their defensive worries. Dean Smith’s side have conceded 43 goals in 27 games so far, the worst defensive record out of the top 15 sides. Villa’s Play-Off push has faltered in recent weeks, most recently losing to struggling Wigan 3-0.
