Al-Hilal have reportedly set their sights on Aston Villa’s Lucas Digne and are keen on bringing the Frenchman to Saudi Arabia this summer.
The Riyadh giants have already had a stellar transfer window having secured the signings of Kalidou Koulibaly, Sergej Milinković-Savić, Malcom, Rúben Neves, and Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar.
According to a report by Saudi newspaper Arriyadiyah, Al-Hilal’s transfer business is not done yet as they plan to bring in a couple of more additions to their squad.
It has already been revealed that Al-Hilal submitted a £46 million offer to acquire the services of Serbian goal machine Aleksandar Mitrovic from Fulham.
The record Asian champions now reportedly want to make Lucas Digne their final summer recruit after initiating talks with Aston Villa on Tuesday.
His current deal at Villa Park runs until the summer of 2026 and with three years remaining in his contract, the former Everton fullback might come at a hefty cost.
The 30-year-old had joined Aston Villa for a £25 million fee back in January 2022 and asserted himself as a starter under both Steven Gerrard and Unai Emery.
Despite making 31 appearances in all competitions last season, Digne found the back of the net on only two occasions while failing to register a single assist.
As a result, he could now be on the verge of leaving Birmingham despite making a good impression in the new Premier League campaign.
The Frenchman made the starting lineup for the Villains in their opening game against in-form Newcastle United, where the latter earned a comprehensive 5-1 victory at St. James’ Park.
Should a transfer materialise, Digne will be replacing Al-Hilal’s long-serving defender Yasser El-Shahrani, who has been at the club since 2012.
Digne has multiple titles to his name after representing a number of high-profile clubs throughout his career, including Paris-Saint-Germain, AS Roma, and Barcelona.