Stoke City facing midfield starlet exit threat as Lille join Aston Villa in transfer race | OneFootball

Lille are the latest club to show an interest in Stoke City's Sol Sidibe, who has previously been on the radar of Aston Villa.

Lille have held discussions with Stoke City over a move for talented young midfielder Sol Sidibe.

The 18-year-old, who is the son of former Potters’ cult hero Mamady, has come through the ranks at the Bet365 Stadium, and it’s no secret that he is regarded as one of the top talents at the club.

Sidibe’s ability means he has already featured for the first-team, which includes eight appearances last season, and it would’ve been many more had he not suffered a back injury that ruled him out for several months.

Sol Sidibe, Stoke City latest as Lille join Aston Villa in transfer race

As well as that, Sidibe has represented England at youth level, so his quality is well-known, and it was claimed last month that Aston Villa have a ‘strong interest’ in the teenager.

And, French journalist Marc Mechenoua has revealed that Lille are also in the mix to try and sign the player.

He explains that the Ligue 1 outfit are ‘closely interested’ in Sidibe, and that talks have been had between the two clubs, although there’s no indication of what sort of fee they would be willing to pay.

From Stoke’s perspective, they are under no major pressure to sell their top talent, as he signed a professional contract last year that runs until the summer of 2027.

Stoke City must try and build around talents like Sol Sidibe

This will be nothing new for Stoke, as it seems like clubs get linked with Sidibe every transfer window, and he has remained in Staffordshire.

Nevertheless, it’s far from ideal, and the attraction of Lille is obvious, as they are a successful club in France, it’s top-flight football, and they will also be in the Europa League next season.

Furthermore, they are likely to offer a clear pathway to the first-team, and that could be decisive for Sidibe.

Ultimately, you get the feeling that Sidibe is itching to play week in, week out, and he will want assurances from Mark Robins that he is a key part of his plans moving forward.

It might seem strange to say that about an 18-year-old, but Sidibe is seen as a quality player, so it’s about getting opportunities to show what he can do. Of course, there are areas that he needs to improve, but he has the physicality and technical ability to make his mark in the Championship.

So, it will be interesting to see how this plays out, but Stoke will be sure to command a hefty sum for the player if he is to move on in this window.