Aston Villa have reportedly launched a fresh pursuit of Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara, having held further talks over a Bosman move this summer.
According to Daily Mail, Aston Villa are pushing hard to wrap up a deal for Marseille utility man Boubacar Kamara early in the summer and have held another round of negotiations ahead of a potential Bosman move to the Premier League. The 22-year-old will become a free agent this summer as he is set to leave his boyhood club when his contract expires at the end of the campaign.
While Marseille’s season may have stumbled of late, as seen by their exit from the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-finals to Feyenoord, it is still a hugely impressive first season for Les Phocéens under the charismatic Argentine manager Jorge Sampaoli, with the French club on course to finish second behind Ligue 1 champions PSG.
And one of the major driving forces behind their success is their progressive and complex structure, in which holding midfielder Kamara plays an essential role. Having come through the ranks at Marseille, the youngster has been an ever-present figure for Les Olympiens since his 2018/19 breakout campaign.
Despite being only 22 years old, the French utility man has already made 168 competitive appearances for the Ligue 1 club, chipping in with four goals and six assists along the way, establishing himself as one of the most sought-after young midfielder across Europe.
Kamara has been in sensational form for Marseille all season and is expected to be a hot property in the summer as clubs vie to land the coveted France youth international thanks to his appealing contract situation and apparent quality. As a result, a Premier League switch has been widely rumoured for the Frenchman, with Arsenal, Newcastle United, Manchester United, and Leeds all credited with an interest.
However, it is Kamara’s long-standing admirers, Aston Villa, who appear to be firmly in the driving seat in the chase for his signature, having held fresh talks with the player’s representatives. Villa boss Steven Gerrard, alongside CEO Christian Purslow and sporting director Johan Lange, even travelled across the English channel to watch Kamara in the flesh against Nantes last month.
The former Rangers boss is set to take command of his first summer transfer window and pre-season in charge of Aston Villa. And there is no doubt that the 41-year-old will be backed by the Villa board to bring in fresh faces to his liking.
With midfield anchor Douglas Luiz in line to be sold this summer, Marvelous Nakamba sustaining a severe knee injury and Carney Chukwuemeka still young and inexperienced, a new holding midfielder is a priority for Aston Villa when the window opens.
To that end, signing someone of Kamara’s calibre and well-versed skillset for nothing would be an excellent piece of business from the Villans and an absolute no-brainer. However, Aston Villa will face some stiff competition, with La Liga giants Atletico Madrid also expressing their interest in the French utility man.
At the same time, Kamara is not the only defensive target on Aston Villa’s radar, with the likes of Kalvin Phillips, Yves Bissouma and Geoffrey Kondogbia all previously linked with them. How this story evolves during the summer remains to be seen, though.
