Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Sanson has been tipped to depart the club this summer following a hugely disappointing 18-month spell by journalist Josh Holland.

The 27-year-old arrived at Villa Park from Marseille in a £16 million deal back in January 2021, but his time on English shores has not gone to plan.

What is the latest news involving Sanson?

A report from French outlet Foot Mercato back in March claimed that Sanson would be open to leaving Villa this summer, with Ligue 1 side Nantes reportedly keen to bring him back to his homeland.

Football Insider then provided an update on the engine room operator’s situation in April, claiming that his former side Marseille were interested in re-signing their former star.

It’s claimed that chiefs at the Stade Velodrome ‘are keeping tabs’ on Sanson’s situation and that Villa will not stand in his way of a potential exit.

Gerrard is said to have deemed the former France Under-21 international surplus to requirements and will accept bid in the region of £10m from any interested party.

What has Holland said about Aston Villa?

Sanson isn’t the only Villa player linked with a possible exit, though, and Holland only believes a handful of first-team stars are safe this summer.

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He told GiveMeSport: “I think Tyrone Mings will be given another chance at Villa; I don't think he's been that bad to be sold. But Sanson, I think he's more or less done.

“I think, apart from the main core of players, that's (Emiliano) Martinez, (Lucas) Digne, now obviously (Boubacar) Kamara, (Philippe) Coutinho, (Ollie) Watkins and (Emi) Buendia, I think they're the only players that could be possibly safe from a massive reshape at Villa.”

Where did it go wrong for Sanson?

Sanson arrived at Villa with a sizeable reputation after registering 25 goals and 22 assists in 157 appearances across all competitions for Marseille.

However, the midfielder only featured from the off on three occasions during his first six months with the Villans, racking up just 291 minutes of Premier League football in that time.

And things failed to improve last season despite Gerrard succeeding Dean Smith in the Villa Park dugout, with Sanson starting just a further three top-flight fixtures throughout 2021/22.

With Boubacar Kamara arriving from Marseille, it seems as though Sanson’s opportunities will be restricted even further, and an imminent exit would be best for both parties.