Aston Villa have had a bid turned down for FC Groningen attacking midfielder Tjaronn Chery, according to Dutch magazine Voetbal International.
The English Premier League side are the second club to see a recent bid rejected for the 27-year-old, with Chinese outfit Ghuangzhou R&F also failing in an attempt to take him from the Netherlands.
Aston Villa are expected to return with an improved bid for Chery though as they look to tempt him to England.
The midfielder is open to moving on to pastures new, but has insisted that he would like to continue playing in Europe.
Chery has a whole host of other clubs who have lodged enquiries with his agent, including Lazio and Galatasaray. He also knocked back a generous proposal from Seattle Sounders as he does not want to leave Europe.
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A product of FC Twente's youth system, FC Groningen snapped Chery up from ADO Den Haag, initially on loan, in 2013.
He helped FC Groningen win the Dutch Cup last season.
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