Kylian Mbappe prepares to send starlet to Aston Villa

Robin Bairner

10 Jan 2025 17:30 GMT
2 min read

Kylian Mbappe, Aston Villa, 2024/25 — © IMAGO

Aston Villa are in “advanced talks” to sign a starlet from Kylian Mbappe’s Ligue 2 club Caen.

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Mbappe took over the Normandy outfit in the summer with an eye on developing young talent that could be sold on at a profit and the first major deal to be completed by the club under the stewardship of the Real Madrid star is Tidiam Gomis.

The Athletic reports that Villa are making strong progress to sign the 18-year-old, whose contract expires in the summer.

Gomis, a France U19 winger, has made 17 appearances for Caen in France’s second-flight this season, scoring two goals and generating a couple of assists in 11 starts.

Villa are said to be destined to pay a “small fee” for the player.

The Athletic states: “A deal has not been finalised but Villa are pushing ahead to complete an agreement.”

Current ETV

Tidiam Gomis

F (L)

Caen

Tidiam Gomis

F (L)

Caen

ETV Range

€0.4M - €0.6M

Mbappe under fire

Such a deal may be greeted frostily in Caen, where Mbappe’s relationship with the supporters is already at breaking point mere months after he took over the club.

Fans are likely to see the departure of one of their brightest talents as a worrying sign for a team that has underperformed dramatically and is currently fighting a relegation battle from the second tier.

Following the sacking of Nicolas Seube – a head coach who was said to represent the values of Caen due to his fighting spirit during his time as a player at the club – protests have rated against Mbappe’s ownership of the club, with supporters criticising the Real Madrid star for using the club as his “toy”.

Widespread demonstrations were held against his ownership during a 1-0 loss against Clermont in a recent Ligue 2 encounter.

The sale of Gomis to Villa for what is likely to be a token fee could potentially be another divisive issue for Caen, who find themselves in the relegation play-off spot, five points short of automatic safety.