By Wayne Veysey

5th Jan, 2022 | 5:17pm

Sources: Aston Villa make move to beat Newcastle to Digne deal as asking price revealed

Aston Villa have registered their interest in signing Everton defender Lucas Digne this month, Football Insider can reveal.

Manager Steven Gerrard wants to recruit a top-class left-back and has set his sights on the Frenchman.

A Villa source has told Football Insider that the club have contacted Everton about a potential deal for Digne following his freeze-out by Rafael Benitez.

There is also strong interest from Newcastle United as well as other Premier League clubs.

Everton want to sell Digne permanently and value him at around the £30milion mark.

They have already signed a new left-back in the January window after announcing the capture of Vitaliy Mykolenko last Saturday from Dynamo Kiev.

Digne has not featured for the Blues since their 4-1 defeat to Liverpool in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park last month (1 December) and the arrival of Mykolenko will limit his opportunity for game time even further.

The 28-year-old signed a new long-term deal with the club in February 2021 under former manager Carlo Ancelotti which gives them the best chance of securing a big fee.

Gerrard’s current options at left-back are Matt Targett and Ashley Young although Young has been used in a more advanced role by his former England teammate.

Targett has played 17 times in the Premier League this term and won the club’s player’s player of the season award for the 2020-21 campaign.

Digne, who moved to Everton from Barcelona, has 18 assists and four goals in 113 Premier League games.

In other news, an ex-Premier League referee has revealed an Aston Villa star should face retrospective punishment after ‘outrageous cheating’.