Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of Cameroon international Jean Makoun from Lyon in a £6million deal.
Midfielder signs three-and-a-half-year deal
Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of Cameroon international Jean Makoun from Lyon in a £6million deal.
Makoun has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal at Villa Park after agreeing terms and passing a medical.
The 27-year-old is waiting to secure a work permit before he finalises his move and he will not be available for this weekend's Second City derby with Birmingham.
Villa boss Gerard Houllier has been chasing Makoun for some time as he looks to bolster his midfield options having sold Steve Sidwell to Fulham.
Makoun is delighted to be making the move to Villa and he is excited by the challenge ahead.
"I am really, really happy and very proud to have joined a great club," Makoun told the club's
official website.
Excited
"Villa have been after me for quite a while, so I am delighted it's finally happened. I can't wait to get started now.
"I've left a very good club in Lyon, a side which has played Champions League football, but I am very excited by this new challenge at Aston Villa. Villa really want to do well and really want to achieve something, so I am really excited to be joining."
Houllier believes Makoun will prove a valuable addition to the squad as they battle to secure survival in the Premier League.
"Jean is a player who can play in front of the defence as a sitter and defensive midfielder or as a box-to-box midfielder. He has several assets about his game," noted Houllier.
"He is also a very experienced player because he played Champions League football with Lille and Lyon.
"He is a nice guy too. I think he will settle well in the dressing room."
