Villa line up French free transfer

AC Milan and Marseille have joined Aston Villa in the race to sign Nancy's Mali international midfielder Bakaye Traore.

The 27-year-old is out of contract in the summer and has told Nancy he will not be renewing with them, making him a very attractive proposition for Villa who are looking for free transfer signings. Traore has been in good form over the past month, scoring five goals in his last four Ligue One starts, which has alerted Milan and Marseille to his availability. Reports in L'Equipe have claimed Villa have been scouting Traore in recent weeks after identifying his talent during this year's Africa Cup on Nations when he played in the Mali side that lost in the semi-finals before claiming third place in a playoff. Traore is understood to be interested in a move to England and could be tempted to the Premier League with the promise of first-team football, which he would struggle to get in Italy with Milan.