Aston Villa are exploring the opportunity to sign an out-of-favour Bundesliga star for a bargain fee in the January transfer window.
Villa have been linked with a handful of players since transfer deadline day, including Rubén Vargas, Julian Brandt and Lee Kang-in. According to reports, Villa’s president of football operations, Monchi, is also tracking the situation of RB Leipzig midfielder Amadou Haidara.
The 27-year-old is now in the last year of his contract. He has been sidelined with a minor injury recently but isn’t a regular even when fit. He joined Leipzig in 2019 but hasn’t yet featured in 2025/26 and could well be a target for clubs looking for a knock-down price in January.
Haidara, a Malian international, was reportedly close to a move to Ligue 1. Talks had taken place with Paris FC and both Nice and Spanish side Real Sociedad were credited with an interest, but the player ended up staying in Germany for the time being.
With his price tag declining, more teams are apparently ready to join the race to sign him. He was previously linked with Newcastle United and Manchester United.
Villa could face competition from Spain’s Alaves, Istanbul giants Besiktas and Premier League rivals Brighton & Hove Albion if Monchi and Unai Emery choose to pursue Haidara, who is considered unlikely to sign a contract extension and would be available on a free transfer next summer.
Born in Mali, Haidara started his professional career in Austria. He joined Red Bull Salzburg in 2016 and followed the well-trodden path to feeder club Liefering and back again. On his return, Haidara helped Salzburg to win the Bundesliga title and advance as far as the semi-finals of the Europa League in 2017/18.
He was then moved on to Leipzig in 2019 and played regularly under manager Julian Nagelsmann in his first season. Leipzig reached the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time in the club’s meagre history and won back-to-back DFB-Pokal finals in 2021/22 and 2022/23.
Haidara has been a mainstay of Leipzig’s squad. In all, he has played in 222 matches in all competitions for the Bundesliga side but he impending end of his contract at peak age is sure to capture attention.
He has played in a variety of midfield positions, including in wider roles but primarily in defensive midfield or box-to-box jobs.
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