Aston Villa have been handed a huge blow in their pursuit of Le Havre defender Harold Moukoudi, with the player's agent saying that he has a "desire to play in Ligue 1" in the near future, reports the Birmingham Mail.

The Villans have been linked with the 21-year old since the summer, where they had a reported £7million bid turned down for the defender, with Mokoudi opting to stay in his home country.

Dean Smith's men are said to be still interested in landing Moukoudi, with the likes of West Ham United, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund and a host of Spanish teams looking to pursue the defender's signature, whose contract expires at his current club in June.

But Moukoudi's agent, Thierry Granturco, has come out and said that the 21-year old's desire is to remain in France, and step up to France's top division Ligue 1.

"He is now playing in the French second tier and his desire is to play in Ligue 1 for one season and then evaluate other options."

Villa have already started to address their defensive frailties with the signing of Kortney Hause from Wolves, as Dean Smith looks to bolster a defence that has conceded 45 goals in the league this term.

The Villans currently sit 13th in the Sky Bet Championship table, seven points off the play-off places having won just one of their last eight league games.

The Verdict

This is a big blow for Villa, who desperately need defensive reinforcements this month.

Moukoudi looks to be a really good, hungry, young defender who has a big future ahead of him.

Villa simply need to go out and get either Scott McKenna or Yoann Barbet this month.