By Noel Whelan

22nd Jan, 2023 | 5:45am

Aston Villa have dropped 'huge' Moussa Dembele signing hint as contact made - pundit

Noel Whelan has suggested Aston Villa won’t have sanctioned Danny Ings’ exit without making sure a replacement is confirmed.

The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, claimed Lyon’s Moussa Dembele, 26, could be a solution for Unai Emery’s side.

West Ham announced his arrival of Ings on Friday (20 January) – with Sky Sports updating later that day to claim the Irons have paid £15million for his services.

According to the Daily Mail (20 January), Aston Villa have approached Lyon about the availability of Dembele – with a fee as low as £3million possible as he enters the final six months of his contract.

Football Insider revealed on Wednesday (18 January) that Everton are expected to fail in their pursuit of Dembele as their financial situation means only a loan deal is possible.

Ings was Aston Villa’s top scorer across all competitions this season – netting seven goals at an average of 147 minutes per strike.

Whelan told Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury: “I think they’ve only let Ings go because they’ve got a target in mind, and it’s looking like it’s going to be Dembele.

“You don’t let a player like Danny Ings go without being sure of that. They don’t have another player like Ings – and I think it’s a huge signing for West Ham.

“Unai Emery has obviously taken a look at him and decided to move him on, which can sometimes happen when new managers come in.

“But I don’t think they’d have done it without making sure to cover their own backs by bringing in someone like Dembele.”

In other news, Aston Villa expert issues verdict on Matteo Guendouzi swap deal after new update.