Aston Villa's opening bid of around €25m (£22m) for Rennes winger Jeremy Doku has been rejected, with the French club seeking a fee in the region of €40m (£35m), according to a recent report.
What's the latest Aston Villa transfer news?
Villa have already made two statement signings this summer, bringing in Pau Torres and Youri Tielemans, however they are yet to strengthen in attacking areas, and they are now running the rule over a number of wingers.
Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby has emerged as a major target, with the Villans recently increasing their offer to €50m (£42.9m), as they look to win the race for the Frenchman's signature, with Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr also in the mix.
In an interview with GiveMeSport, journalist Rudy Galetti also confirmed that Unai Emery was keen on a Manchester United winger, however the asking price was too high:“They have many names on their list that have already been explored, like Moussa Diaby of Bayern Leverkusen.
“In the past weeks, the Villans asked for information about (Jadon) Sancho, but the price tag set by Manchester United is considered too high.”
According to a report from Ghana Soccer Net (via Sport Witness), Aston Villa have now submitted a bid for Doku, which is believed to have been in the region of €25m (£22m), but it has been immediately turned down by Rennes.
The French club are holding out for a fee of around €40m (£34m), so the two clubs are currently quite some way apart in their valuation of the winger.
Rennes are open to selling the 21-year-old for the right fee, with the report detailing that a move could be orchestrated quickly if Villa submit a second offer closer to the asking price, and he could even arrive at Villa Park by the end of the week.
Who is Jeremy Doku?
Lauded as "simply amazing" by football scout Jacek Kulig, the Rennes star is a tricky winger, who loves to get on the ball and take to the game to the opposition, as indicated by the amount of dribbles he has completed over the past year.
The starlet has averaged 6.59 successful take-ons per 90, which places him in the 99th percentile compared to his positional peers, while he also ranks in the 99th percentile for non-penalty goals, demonstrating his attacking threat.
Last season, the Belgian managed to solidify his place in the Rennes starting XI, making 35 appearances in all competitions, during which time he managed to record a respectable seven goals and four assists.
The youngster is yet to hit the heights of Villa's other key target, Diaby, with the Frenchman weighing in with 25 goal contributions in all competitions for Leverkusen last season, however he is three years older than the Rennes star.
Doku has put in some very promising performances for Rennes last season, but he probably has not justified a £34m outlay yet, and Diaby should remain Aston Villa's main target unless Rennes are willing to lower their asking price.
