Aston Villa have been rather proactive in the transfer market over the past few years when it comes to bringing new players into the club.

However, with the summer transfer window on the horizon, it seems as though the Villans could see one of their current squad members move away from Bodymoor Heath at the end of the season.

What's the latest?

According to a recent report from Foot Mercato, Villa midfielder Morgan Sanson would be open to leaving the Midlands in the summer, with French outfit Nantes reportedly keen on him.

The Villa Park outfit signed the Frenchman back in January 2021 from Marseille in a deal worth a reported £16m. Since then, the midfielder has only made 19 appearances across all competitions, scoring no goals and providing no assists but picking up three yellow cards in the process.

Having only started two of his nine league appearances this season, it's safe to say that Steven Gerrard doesn't see the 27-year-old as a crucial figure in his squad.

In those nine league appearances, Sanson has failed to show why he deserves to be in the squad, having accrued an uninspiring overall performance rating of 6.37/10 from WhoScored, making him the lowest-rated player currently at Villa to have started more than one league game in 2021/22.

Taking this into account, this upcoming summer transfer window could provide Villa and Gerrard with an ideal chance to get rid of the midfield flop and potentially recoup some of the money that they splashed out on him in the first place.

With the Villans recently being linked with a move for Leeds United's Kalvin Phillips when the transfer window opens, adding another midfielder to their squad would surely drive the Frenchman even further down the pecking order.

If Sanson isn't likely to be in Gerrard's plans for the rest of the season - which seems inevitable given that he has not started a league game since mid-January - or beyond the summer, it could be best for all parties if the midfielder were to depart from Villa and join another club where he would be guaranteed regular playing time.

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