Aston Villa to rival Leeds United for Lyon forward Moussa Dembele?

Aston Villa have reportedly identified Lyon forward Moussa Dembele as a potential summer transfer target.

The West Midlands outfit are currently enduring another mixed campaign in the Premier League, losing three games in succession to sit in 11th position in the standings.

Scoring goals has generally not been an issue for the team, particularly under Unai Emery, but extra competition is required for Ollie Watkins.

During the January window, Villa made the decision to sell Danny Ings to West Ham United and replace the Englishman with young Colombian talent Jhon Duran.

Although Cameron Archer could return from a loan spell with Middlesbrough and make an impact during 2023-24, Villa have been left to scour the market for further competition.

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According to Football Insider, that could result in Emery requesting that club officials move for Dembele.

The report suggests that the Spaniard is a big admirer of a player who looks likely to depart Lyon at the end of his contract in the summer.

Dembele has fallen down the pecking order at the Ligue 1 outfit with just seven of his 17 appearances this campaign coming from the starting lineup.

While the 26-year-old netted in his last outing versus Auxurre, that represented his first goal since the beginning of September.

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Despite his struggles this campaign, the France international has enjoyed a successful stint with Lyon since 2018, contributing 70 strikes and 19 assists from 164 appearances.

Should Dembele depart the Groupama Stadium, he will not be short of options with Leeds United also said to hold an interest in the former Fulham and Celtic man.

Whether Leeds' alleged interest is sustained will be dependent on the Yorkshire giants remaining in England's top flight.

The same is said for Bournemouth, with the aforementioned teams occupying 19th and 17th place in the Premier League as it stands.