Tommy Elphick’s Aston Villa exit could lead to the arrival of Axel Tuanzebe from Manchester United, according to the Birmingham Mail.
The newspaper claim that a number of Championship clubs are interested in the central defender, and his departure would open the door for Tuanzebe to join the club on loan.
The Birmingham Mail report Steve Bruce is happy to keep Elphick at the club, despite the 30-year-old making only four Championship appearances this season.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has previously commented on Tuanzebe leaving the club, revealing a decision would be made about him at the end of the window.
“It is something we are thinking about, a loan until the end of the season,” Mourinho stated, as quoted5 by the Manchester Evening News.
“We are a bit afraid of injuries, a bit afraid of needing him, we have Eric Bailly injured, we are not free of other injuries, so we are delaying the decision and we are going to delay until the end of the transfer window.”
Dean Jones of the Bleacher Report was the first to report about Aston Villa’s interest in the 20-year-old defender, posting about it on Twitter earlier in the month.
Good move for Aston Villa?
Yes, Tuanzebe has only has made eight senior appearances for Manchester United but his reputation proceeds him.
The 20-year-old is known for his pace and athleticism, that gives him a significant advantage over a lot of strikers he comes up against.
Tuanzebe is also known to be versatile, so far this season the 20-year-old has played at centre-back, right-back as well as playing in midfield as a right midfielder and a defensive midfielder.
Given his attributes and versatility, the Villans could be on to winner with this deal.
This Is Futbol rating: 7/10
Likely to happen?
Elphick has hardly featured, so it makes sense for him to be shown the exit, whether Bruce likes it or not.
The deal for Tuanzebe looks extremely likely, with the only stumbling block being Manchester United’s desire to make sure they have enough defenders.
If Mourinho’s defence is suddenly riddled with injuries, then this deal won’t happy, but it would be terrible unlucky for Aston Villa if that scenario happened.
This Is Futbol rating: 8/10