Aston Villa have told a first-team squad member that he is free to leave today, and a fresh report has revealed the club that are looking to make a late move to secure his services.
How have Aston Villa started the season?
In the Premier League, Unai Emery’s side have had a mixed start to the new campaign where they currently find themselves sitting tenth in the table on six points having secured two wins but also suffered the same number of defeats during their opening four games.
Having signed Youri Tielemans, Pau Torres, Moussa Diaby, Nicolo Zaniolo and Clement Lenglet over the summer transfer window, via Transfermarkt, the excellent competition for places has meant that some of the existing players have been pushed further out of the picture, one of those being Leander Dendoncker.
The Belgium international has only made 22 appearances since joining from Wolves last summer and he is still yet to feature in the top-flight this term, and the fact that he’s so low down in the pecking order has already seen him linked with an exit.
Fabrizio Romano previously reported that the Midlands outfit were open to offers for the defensive midfielder despite being rated by the manager, and whilst a departure failed to come to fruition before September 1st, there’s still a chance that he could be on the move.
Is Leander Dendoncker leaving Aston Villa?
According to Football Insider, Fenerbahce are “readying a last-gasp move” for Dendoncker, who is “free to quit the club” having been told by chiefs that he has no long-term future at Aston Villa.
The Turkish transfer window closes on Friday, September 15, and the player’s admirers have added him to a shortlist of options, with the hierarchy open to either a loan or permanent departure.
The Super Lig outfit have already held initial talks with their target’s camp, and whilst an official offer is yet to have been tabled, it’s stated that a “deal is possible” before the end of play this evening.
Aston Villa recently named Dendoncker in their Premier League 25-man squad for the remainder of the season, but due to him being a “rash” player, as labelled by members of the media, not to mention that he’s on the fringe of the action, the board would be making the right decision to let him go.
The Wasserman client ranked as Emery’s overall 21st best-performing player out of 26 squad members last season, alongside listing 13th defensively, via WhoScored, whilst he’s also failed to make an impact at the opposite end of the pitch, recording zero goals or assists since his arrival.
Furthermore, Passendale’s native, who is sponsored by Nike, currently pockets £90k-per-week which is more than the likes of Ollie Watkins and Douglas Luiz, as per Capology, so Villa chiefs need to get him off their wage bill as soon as possible and use this money to generate funds towards bringing in potential fresh faces in the new year.
