An update has emerged on Aston Villa target Axel Tuanzebe, regarding Manchester United's loan fee demands for the defender.

What's the talk?

According to The Sun, Manchester United are demanding a stunning £5m loan fee for centre-back Axel Tuanzebe.

The report claims that Aston Villa and Newcastle are both interested in the defender, but they will need to fork out a hefty sum to have the privilege of taking him on loan for a year.

Howler

Johan Lange must avoid a major howler over this deal following this update. Paying £5m to develop another club's player for just a season would be a disastrous decision by the club and one that would surely leave fans fuming, as that money could be used to make a permanent addition to the squad.

Over the weekend, we suggested that Tuanzebe could be a shrewd addition to Dean Smith's squad as he could come in and provide competition for Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa. The United defender could arrive and push for a spot in the starting XI, either ousting one of the aforementioned pair from the side or providing reliable, quality, depth in the centre-back position, but that would be as a permanent signing, not a £5m loanee.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer called the defender tremendous after an eye-catching display against PSG in the Champions League last term.

The Norwegian said: "Axel's a tremendous defender, a great leader. He's come through the academy and we've known for years that he's going to be a top player for us and he's got the character and the attitude that a Man United player should have.

Solskjaer added: "Sometimes you’ll get in a foot race with Mbappe and you have to run with him and we know Axel’s qualities, he’s a top defender."

These type of comments go some way to showing why Tuanzebe has the potential to be a good addition, but not for the £5m fee touted for a season-long loan.

It would make more sense for Villa if an option-to-buy clause was inserted in the deal, so that they could make him a permanent member of their squad if the loan is successful - as £5m fee could be seen as a worthwhile gamble as a 'try before you buy'.

So, unless United are open to an arrangement like that then Villa must avoid this deal. It would be a disaster for Lange to splash £5m on a player who would only be at the club for 12 months and who is not guaranteed to come in and be an instant upgrade on what they already have.

AND in other news, Newcastle must reignite interest in £14k-p/w “terrific talent”, he won't cost a penny...