Jordan Ayew to Aston Villa: Latest Transfer Details, Reaction and More

Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of Lorient striker Jordan Ayew on a five-year deal.

The Ghanaian joins the Birmingham outfit for a reported £12 million, per Sky Sports (h/t Will Giles of Metro), as Villa boss Tim Sherwood looks to rebuild his forward line following the departure of Christian Benteke to Liverpool.

The news of Ayew's arrival at Villa Park was confirmed on July 27 on the club's official Twitter timeline:

Sherwood said, per the club's official website: "I'm really pleased to bring Jordan to the football club. He is a fantastic young player who is perfectly suited to the Premier League."

Previously of Marseille, Ayew joined Lorient on a four-year deal last summer and performed admirably in the 2014-15 Ligue 1 season, netting 12 times in 31 appearances, per WhoScored.com.

The 23-year-old still has much room for improvement, but Ligue 1 writer Matt Spiro sees great potential in Ayew:

Villa can afford to pay the arguably over-inflated fee for Ayew as they received a whopping £32.5 million from Liverpool for Benteke, according to Sky Sports.

However, Ayew will be under pressure to score consistently from the off, as Villa need to make up for the loss of Benteke's goals.

The Belgian was a huge help as Villa avoided relegation from the Premier League in 2014-15, and Ayew will need to provide a similar contribution if the Birmingham outfit are to escape another scrap against the drop in the upcoming term.

Ayew is Villa's third signing from Ligue 1 in the summer transfer window thus far, following the arrivals of Jordan Amavi from Nice and Idrissa Gueye from Lille, while defender Jose Angel Crespo is expected to arrive at Villa Park from Spanish club Cordoba, as reported by the BBC.