Aston Villa are moving on two fronts in the same window. Lucas Digne is set for a return to PSG for £8.5m via the release clause in his contract, while Lewis Dobbin is close to leaving for Southampton after a productive loan spell at Preston.
Villa's left-back plan
Fabrizio Romano says Villa are already identifying replacements for Digne, and Pervis Estupiñán is one of the names being considered. The fit is easy to see. Estupiñán already played under Unai Emery at Villarreal, and he brings 84 Premier League appearances for Brighton.
Digne’s Villa numbers this season are modest enough to make the move easier to understand. He has only 4 appearances and 361 minutes in the sample, even if his season rating of 6.99 suggests he has still done the job when used.
Dobbin's move to Southampton
The Dobbin deal looks fairly advanced too. Fabrizio Romano says Southampton are set to sign him for a fee in the region of £9m plus add-ons, while BBC Sport reported the figure as almost £9m. Those are close enough to tell the same story, even if the final packaging may differ.
Dobbin has never played for Villa since joining from Everton in 2024, but his Preston loan gave Southampton a reason to move quickly. He scored 11 goals and added 8 assists in 41 appearances, which is a proper return for a player still trying to force his way into a first-team pathway.
Villa are not just clearing space here, they are replacing it with something more functional. Digne's exit opens the left-back spot, Estupiñán offers the most convincing solution on the market, and Dobbin's sale looks like the next outgoings move to be completed before the rest of the summer business settles.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →