Aston Villa's new manager Steven Gerrard has sanctioned a move away for Bertrand Traore in January, according to Football Insider.

The lowdown

Traore only joined Villa last year in a £16.56million transfer from Olympique Lyon.

In his first season at the club, he was directly involved in 15 goals (eight scored, seven assisted) in 38 appearances in all competitions.

But the start of his second campaign has been disrupted by injury. He damaged his hamstring in August and then suffered another setback on international duty with Burkina Faso in October.

Traore, presently valued at £18million by Transfermarkt, still has two and a half years left to run on the £78,000-per-week contract he penned in 2020. That deal made him the third-highest earner at the club.

The latest

A source at Villa has told the publication that the club will listen to permanent offers and loan offers for Traore during the mid-season window.

Gerrard apparently believes he has 'too many wide attacking players' in his squad, and he's identified Traore as dispensable.

The verdict

Gerrard's predecessor Dean Smith issued a glowing assessment of Traore near the end of last season, describing him as a 'marvellous technician' and promising that there was more to come.

But clearly the new man doesn't share that optimism, and perhaps views the sale of Traore as a means of raising as much as many possible to put his own imprint on the squad.

Traore is still only 26 years old and his value is protected by his contract, so Villa should in theory be able to get a decent return on their investment.

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