Aston Villa are targeting a summer move for RC Lens midfielder Seko Fofana but face competition from other Premier League clubs who are also chasing his signature.

That's according to reports in France this week who claim Villa are admirers of the Ivory Coast international who is rated at £18m.

With Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United also interested there are no guarantees he will choose Villa Park. More demand is also likely to drive the asking price up, and if they're not careful the club could find themselves in a bidding war.

He's the new Yaya Toure

The 26-year old is no stranger to England having spent three years playing for Manchester City's U21 side before moving to Italy where he made 112 Serie A appearances for Udinese. He's been described as a "phenom" by journalist Zach Lowry such are his extraordinary talents.

Since joining Lens for £7.6m in 2020 he has been a key player for them and so far this season has featured in all of their Ligue 1 games scoring seven goals.

He has been dubbed the "New Yaya Toure" and explained in an interview how they 'hoped he would succeed Toure'. Despite this not working out, whilst at the club he received a lot of good advice from first team players and was coached by Patrick Vieira.

It also seems like he's not the only player in France that the Villans have their eye on, with manager Steven Gerrard recently spotted watching a Marseille game reportedly there to scout Boubacar Kamara.

When you compare Fofana to Villa's Douglas Luiz the man he would likely be competing with, he performs better in many areas.

Fofana excels in possession compared to Luiz with 131 more progressive carries this season. He also has a higher percentage of successful dribbles at 59% compared to 43%. With that in mind, it's evident to see why he's been compared to Yaya with strength and ball-carrying both major strengths.

He would be a perfect addition to the Villa team and could link up well in a midfield three alongside Jacob Ramsey and John McGinn.

However, with the money that both Spurs and Newcastle could offer, as well as the prospect of competing in Europe and for silverware, Fofana may decide to go elsewhere.

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