Aston Villa eye West Ham United defender Jean-Clair Todibo after Joel Ordonez blow

Aston Villa is considering signing West Ham United defender Jean-Clair Todibo following the departure of Joel Ordonez to Crystal Palace, according to French sports news outlet Foot Mercato. The Hammers have beaten Villa to an agreement with Club Brugge for the Belgian international, leading manager Unai Emery to explore alternative options.

Todibo is now on Aston Villa's radar, and the Premier League club is actively pursuing the 26-year-old French international. West Ham are prepared to let Todibo move on after their recent fallout with manager Nuno Espirito Santo, and he has a verbal agreement with French side Marseille, who would need to sell him before finalizing a loan deal.

Aston Villa could opt for a permanent arrangement, which the Hammers would prefer to a loan. With his extensive experience playing for clubs such as Barcelona, Toulouse, Schalke 04 and OGC Nice, Todibo could fill the void left by Ezri Konsa and provide a solid replacement for the Villa Park squad, which was recently dealt a 4-0 defeat by Brighton & Hove Albion.