Aston Villa are bracing themselves for a busy end to the summer transfer window as Unai Emery completes the finishing touches to his squad.
Aston Villa have made seven signings this summer, with the big-money sales of Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby helping to fund their business.
Unai Emery was almost forced into selling Luiz to Juventus to avoid breaching Premier League spending rules while the Villans couldn’t turn down £50 million for Diaby from Al-Ittihad.
In a deal that saw their Brazilian maestro leave for Turin, Emery signed midfielder Enzo Barrenchea and winger Samuel Iling-Junior for around £18 million in return.
The pair featured for the club in pre-season but were left out of Villa’s matchday squad for their 2-1 win over West Ham United on Saturday, with a fresh update now emerging on their futures.
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Aston Villa now plotting loan exit for Samuel Iling-Junior
Aston Villa are exploring possible loan options for winger Iling-Junior this summer. That is according to The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell, who claims that a temporary move away from Villa Park could help accelerate his development.
The talented 20-year-old can play in multiple positions, including as a left-back or left wing-back, while he was primarily used as a left-sided number 10 by Emery in pre-season.
Competition for places in that position at Villa is strong, with the likes of John McGinn, Emi Buendia, Jacob Ramsey and Morgan Rogers all used in that role previously.
Iling-Junior’s chances of being used as a left-back also don’t look as promising, with new signing Ian Maatsen arriving as competition for Lucas Digne and Alex Moreno, who could also be shifted out on loan this summer.
Therefore, it is widely accepted that the ‘superb’ gem – as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig – requires a loan out of the club, but only if he’s guaranteed regular football elsewhere.
Aston Villa’s transfer priorities
In the closing weeks of the window, Emery will be looking to loan out several players who he doesn’t see featuring regularly this season.
Iling Junior is, of course, one of them while it wouldn’t be surprising to see Barrenchea and Moreno leave temporarily.
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More importantly, though, Emery still needs to iron out multiple creases in his Villa squad, including in central defence and striker.
The Villans have multiple defensive options on their radar with the club showing an interest in Liverpool’s Joe Gomez and Feyenoord’s Lutsharel Geertruida.
A forward has also been on their agenda but that was when Jhon Duran was heavily linked with a move away. Now, it appears the talented Colombian is staying and his well-taken goal against West Ham suggests why.
It promises to be a busy end to a frantic transfer window as Villa aim to finalise a couple of additions that will ready them for the Champions League.
