Frederic Guilbert
24 year old French defender Frederic Guilbert, linked earlier in the window with a switch to Villa Park, has today been confirmed as having undergone a medical.
The right full-back, capped at Under-21 international level for France, will reportedly cost Villa in the region of £5 million to secure from Caen.
Whilst little is known about the finer points of any deal at this stage, it’s reasonable to assume that James Bree’s departure to Ipswich may only have been sanctioned with the arrival of a recognised player in the same position.
However, there is also some confusion about when Guilbert will actually link up with Villa. Indeed, the suggestion is that the defender will actually remain with Caen for the remainder of the campaign, before switching to Villa Park int the summer of 2019. The reasons for such a decision are unclear, but could be linked to the club’s consideration for FFP.
This story will be updated with any further developments / clarification.