---
title: "Aston Villa: Dean Smith’s side plotting Axel Tuanzabe move"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/aston-villa-dean-smiths-side-plotting-axel-tuanzabe-move/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Charlie Smith"
section: "Aston Villa"
published: "2021-05-03T05:30:15Z"
modified: "2021-05-03T05:30:15Z"
---

# Aston Villa: Dean Smith’s side plotting Axel Tuanzabe move

**Aston Villa will look to re-sign Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe this summer.**

That’s according to a report from [Football Insider](https://www.footballinsider247.com/sources-aston-villa-set-sights-on-re-signing-man-united-star-tuanzebe/), who claimed that the Midlands club have made the 23-year-old one of their top targets for the summer window.

Tuanzebe, who made [35](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/axel-tuanzebe/leistungsdaten/spieler/342046) appearances for Villa during [two separate loan spells](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/axel-tuanzebe/transfers/spieler/342046), is thought to be valued at around [£7m](https://www.footballinsider247.com/sources-aston-villa-set-sights-on-re-signing-man-united-star-tuanzebe/) by the Red Devils. He is on [£38,000 per week](https://salarysport.com/football/player/axel-tuanzebe/) at Old Trafford and has [12 months remaining on his deal](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/axel-tuanzebe/profil/spieler/342046), although United do have the option to extend it until 2023 next summer.

[Football Insider](https://www.footballinsider247.com/sources-aston-villa-set-sights-on-re-signing-man-united-star-tuanzebe/) have been informed by a Villa source that Tuanzebe ‘fits the profile the recruitment team are seeking’ – an interesting inside eight-word update.

### Transfer Tavern take

To us, bringing in Tuanzebe – who [Ole Gunnar Solskjaer recently called ‘outstanding’](https://www.manutd.com/en/news/detail/solskjaer-praises-axel-tuanzebe-after-granada-performance) – for £7m could be a brilliant piece of business. He [played a key role](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/299271/History/Axel-Tuanzebe) in Villa’s promotion to the Premier League in 2019 and could provide strong competition to first-choice pairing Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings.

Both [Konsa](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ezri-konsa/leistungsdaten/spieler/413403) and [Mings](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/tyrone-mings/leistungsdaten/spieler/253677) have been ever-presents under Dean Smith this season, but should one get injured, Villa don’t exactly have the proven quality to come in for them. [Reports](https://www.footballinsider247.com/sources-aston-villa-set-to-offload-engels-for-knockdown-fee/) have suggested that Villa are planning to offload Bjorn Engels this summer, and should that be the case, that would leave Smith with just [Kortney Hause as cover](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/aston-villa/kader/verein/405) for Konsa and Mings.

Therefore, adding Tuanzebe to the defensive ranks on a permanent basis may prove to be an excellent move in the long run.

***In other news: Villa lining up huge bid for another Premier League ace, find out more [here](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/aston-villa-news/aston-villa-club-plotting-huge-mcneil-bid/).***