Speaking to L’Équipe, Ligue 1 side Reims Director-General Mathieu Lacour and President Jean-Pierre Caillot confirmed the imminent departure of Belgian defender Björn Engels to Aston Villa.
“We had a strong deal with Björn, whose wife comes from Liverpool. He made it clear that he had a strong desire one day to play on the other side of the Channel. So we reached an agreement, that if and only if a Premier League club made us a considerable offer at the end of his first season, we would let him to leave. We are not happy to lose such a good player but we are just sticking to our promise.”
The deal will close for €8m plus bonuses climbing to over €10m.
