The Daily Mail claim that, despite being unable to agree terms with the youngster in January, Guieda Fofana is back on Gerard Houllier’s radar, though the French boss may have to battle off interest from Bordeaux for his compatriot. The defensive midfielder is one of the hottest prospects in France and joins a string of upcoming players to have been likened to Patrick Vieira in his hay-day. A fee of around £1m was touted to have been accepted by Le Havre for the 19-year-old in December but that figure is likely to rise with interest mounting in the France Under-20 captain.
Meanwhile, TalkSport have reported that Villa are likely to re-enter the race, alongside fierce rivals Birmingham, to sign France international striker Guillaume Hoarau who currently plays for PSG. The 26-year-old, who has made 4 senior international appearances, is seen as a like-for-like replacement for the likes of John Carew, seemingly leaving the club in the summer, and Emile Heskey whose chances have been limited since the signing of Darren Bent. At 6’4″, Hoarau is very much your standard target man which Villa boss Houllier is thought to be keen to provide as a foyle for his goal-poacher, Bent. The big forward is very much a key player for PSG who will be hoping to gain offers in the £10m+ region which TalkSport claim could rule City out, but may not be enough to deter Houllier. In 23 games in the league this season, Hoarau has shipped in with 7 goals and picked up 6 assists along the way. In all competitions for Paris this season his stats rack up to 17 goals in 39 games, with 10 assists to boot, which makes for pleasant reading. In his spell at the French club he has made 112 appearances, scoring 45 goals after impressing at Le Havre, Fofana’s current club, netting 33 times on 81 occasions.
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