Black Stars striker Jordan Ayew is being courted by French Ligue 1 side Saint Etienne but talks between the two parties have been hampered by the player's unwillingness to miss-out on AFCON 2017.
La Gazette des Transferts have published an article in their monthly newspaper claiming AS Saint-Etienne are interested in signing the Aston Villa forward in January.
They state the player, the Villains and Saint-Etienne are already in discussions over a potential move, but that one specific demand from the Ligue 1 side is slowing down any transfer away from Villa Park.
Ayew, who is allegedly keen to leave the Midlands in order to bounce back at a higher level, is unwilling to agree with ASSE’s request of him missing the African Cup of Nations in January, with Ghana likely to call him up to their squad for the competition.
The forward, who prefers to play through the middle, has been used mostly on the wings by Aston Villa this season, which has led to the player’s goalscoring output to drop, scoring only two goals in 17 appearances so far this season.
The 25-year-old has scored 10 goals in 54 appearances for the club since his £10m move from Lorient during the summer of 2015.