Morgan Sanson closes in on second transfer out of Aston Villa in six months

Morgan Sanson is set to leave Aston Villa for the second time in six months and join OGC Nice on a season-long loan deal, according to reports in France - and that loan agreement will include an option for Nice to sign Sanson permanently next summer if all goes well.

Sanson, 28, joined Strasbourg last January with it made clear that he would have no part to play in the plans of incoming Villa boss Unai Emery, who also trimmed Frederic Guilbert, Ludwig Augustinsson and Jan Bednarek from the fringes of his squad in the same window. Sanson made 18 league appearances last term and scored once, in a defeat to Lyon, as Strasbourg finished 15th in Ligue 1 and narrowly avoided relegation.

Not flush with cash, L'Equipe suggested earlier this month that they wanted to bring Sanson back and offer him the most lucrative deal that they can - but it would've hinged on whether Sanson could escape the remainder of his Villa contract because a substantial transfer fee was not something they are able to accommodate.

Nice, who finished ninth in Ligue 1 last season, look to have come forward with an offer which Villa have accepted; Emery confirmed after the pre-season friendly draw with Newcastle United on Monday morning that Sanson's absence was down to the fact that he had been given permission to secure a move elsewhere and that looks set to materialise into a loan with an option. Sanson has two years left on his Villa deal as things stand.

He'll follow Marvelous Nakamba out of the door; another player who left in January, the Zimbabwean has returned to Luton on a permanent deal. Neither player was set to have much of a look-in with competition high in Emery's midfield department - the existing personnel were also joined by Youri Tielemans this summer.

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“I had no playing time at Aston Villa and needed a change of scenery,” Sanson told the Ligue 1 official website, of his time at Villa, in May. “Once I understood that I would still not have playing time at the end of September-beginning of October with Villa under Steven Gerrard, despite my performances in training, I put myself in focus mode on the winter transfer window to find a club and finish this 2nd part of the season as well as possible.

“So, I worked more than all the others in training. Since I didn’t play on weekends, I was working extra. Of course, training does not replace a match, but when you get in shape, it allows you to be in the best possible conditions. It is thanks to this that I was able to quickly chain the matches here.

“I lived through difficult times there. First in terms of playing time, which is most important for a player. Not playing takes all the fun out of our job and it creates some tension. On the other hand, the positive thing is that it hardened me mentally. I was already solid in my head, but now I’m armoured. Going for months not playing, after being injured for six months the first year, coming back and getting injured again… it was hell.”