Having reportedly had a bid in the region of £9m accepted for Nice left-back Jordan Amavi, Aston Villa are hoping to convince the youngster to sign for the club by offering him a substantial pay rise.
Amavi was one of the real breakthrough talents in Ligue 1 last season and has attracted plenty of interest in turn. However, while he is thought to favour a stay in France, with Lyon credited with a strong interest, it seems that they cannot match Villa's offer.
The 21-year old made the most interceptions in Europe's top 5 leagues last season and when combining his total tackles, a tally of 303 was also the highest across the top divisions.
Tim Sherwood is keen to sign a new left-back as he has shown very little faith in Aly Cissokho since his arrival, while the club released Antonio Luna this week. The position has been a real problem area for Villa for a number of years and they have identified Amavi - who secured the second highest rating from WhoScored in Ligue 1 last season (7.74) - as a long-term solution.
While his wages are believed to be modest right now the Midlands outfit, according to L'Equipe, are willing to treble his earnings in a bid to force a move through for their number one target, with Amavi likely to view any potential move as a stepping stone to bigger and better things.
Find out where Amavi ranked among the top 20 rated youngsters in Europe's top 5 leagues last season
