French Journalist Claims Monaco Will Join Ligue 1 Rivals in Race for Coveted Aston Villa Defender

French journalist Romain Collet-Gaudin has claimed that Lique 1 champions Monaco have joined the race to sign highly-rated Aston Villa left-back Jordan Amavi.

The pundit, who lists CanalPlus, Eurosport and YahooSport among others as affiliates in his Twitter bio, has reportedly suggested that Amavi's industrious performances for the Midlands club have caught the eye of the French giants, who could look to bring him to Stade Louis II this summer.

YahooSportFR's official Twitter account published an exclusive via Collet-Gaudin today, claiming that the 23-year-old, who is also a target for Nice and Marseille, could be on the move to Les Rouges et Blancs next season.

Amavi was reportedly close to joining La Liga side Sevilla last month in a £8m move before failing a medical, a claim both Aston Villa and the player dismissed.

But the Frenchman wasn't included by Steve Bruce for last weekend's 1-1 draw with Hull City on the opening day of the season, leading many to assume that the Toulouse-born left-back's future at Villa Park is at best uncertain. 

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However, after a strong season for the Championship side, in which the youngster made 36 appearances, it now looks as though the former Nice defender could could join Leonardo Jardim's precocious young Monaco side.

Jordan Amavi's current contract with Aston Villa runs until June 2020.