Aston Villa's reported summer transfer target Wylan Cyprien sought to play down rumours of a potential move to the Premier League earlier in the summer window, with the Frenchman joining Parma in the end.

What's the word?

Reports in recent weeks had suggested that the 25-year-old was being earmarked for a £16m move from Dean Smith's side, but a deal failed to materialise and just before the transfer window shut across Europe, the midfielder left Nice to join Serie A side Parma on loan, with there being an obligation to buy at the end of the loan woven into the deal.

When asked about interest from other clubs, Cyprien replied: "As for the other teams, the question no longer arises. Why Parma? To discover Serie A through the game of a team like Parma."

Ideal partner for Douglas Luiz

Whilst Villa have enjoyed an incredible start to the new Premier League season with three wins from three, with a 7-2 thrashing of Liverpool thrown in for good measure, a move for Cyprien would no doubt have boosted the strength of their midfield.

The Frenchman could have been an ideal partner for Douglas Luiz, with his ability to get goals from midfield offering a nice balance to the latter's industry and laser-like passing - last season saw Cyprien bag eight goals in just 24 games across all competitions.

According to his former teammate at Nice, Jean Michael Seri, the former France U21 international has everything in his locker. He said: "He is very capable and he knows how to do everything with the ball: dribble, shoot, score. And then, honestly, a 6 who can attack as well as he can defend, I have rarely seen that. If I could steal something from his game, it would be his ease at playing with his back to the game, to avoid the opponent with shoulder to shoulders. In Paris, he showed that he is a phenomenon."

They may have enjoyed a fantastic summer transfer window, but it could have been even more special had they pulled off the signing of Cyprien too.