Aston Villa are in talks with Lyon over a £19m deal for forward Bertrand Traore.
The move has yet to be finalised but the 25-year-old is understood to be keen to come to Villa and knows assistant manager John Terry from his time at Chelsea.
Burkina Faso international Traore will require a work permit.
But Villa’s move is another indication of manager Dean Smith’s desire to revamp his squad.
Traore had loan spells at Eredivisie sides Vitesse and Ajax while at Chelsea before completing an £8.8m move to Lyon in June 2017.
Villa expect to conclude a £20m deal for Arsenal’s 28-year-old Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and have already completed the club record signing of striker Ollie Watkins.
The 24-year-old, who scored 26 goals for Brentford last season as they missed out in the Championship play-off final, arrived at Villa Park for £28m which could rise to £33m with add-ons.
Villa have also signed right-back Matty Cash from Nottingham Forest in a deal that could be worth £16m.
