Aston Villa are on the brink of sealing a loan-t0-buy swoop for Lille attacker Anwar El Ghazi and a deal could be sealed on Wednesday (22 August), according to L’Equipe.
The French publication claim in Wednesday’s print edition that the 23-year-old winger has been cast out of the first team at the Ligue 1 outfit, and that the Villans are closing in on a initial temporary move which could be turned permanent at the end of his loan spell.
It is said that the 6’2″ (source: Transfermarkt) Dutch international, who has three caps under his belt, could complete his move to Villa Park over the coming hours.
Good move for Aston Villa?
El Ghazi might have found himself pushed out of the first team at Lille but that does not mean he is by any means a poor player, and he should inject some much needed pace and flair to Steve Bruce’s side.
His record in France has been a little bit more of a miss than a hit, with just six goals and four assists in 44 appearances, and he will have to improve on those if he is to be considered a success at Villa.
Still, a change of scenery might well bring the best out of him, and the loan-to-buy deal means that the Villans have the option of whether to keep him permanently or cut their ties after the loan spell.
This is Futbol rating: 8/10
Likely to happen?
Things have accelerated quickly with this one and it seems as though he is nailed on for a move to Villa Park with just a final few hurdles left to overcome.
There would have likely been some competition in the hunt for is capture and until he has put pen to paper on a deal, things could still collapse, but Bruce can be confident about having the Dutch international available for the rest of the campaign.
This is Futbol rating: 7/10