Aston Villa have reportedly been approached by Belgian club Anderlecht concerning a possible transfer deal for Villa defender Bjorn Engels.
This comes after a recent article from Belgian outfit Walfoot (via Sport Witness) claimed that Anderlecht have knocked on Villa’s door asking about a potential loan deal for the defender.
The article also claims that Villa would prefer to sell Engels on a permanent basis rather than loaning him out during the current summer transfer window.
Villa signed Engels back in July 2019 from French club Stade Reims for a fee of £7.2 million. Since then, the centre-half has made just 19 appearances for Dean Smith’s side, scoring one goal in that time.
The 26-year-old earned himself a season rating of 6.61/10 for his performances in the 17 Premier League appearances he made for the club last season (as per WhoScored).
After the 2019/20 season restarted in June, Engels didn’t make an appearance for Villa in any of their final 10 league games of the season.
What should Villa do with Bjorn Engels?
Keep him in the squad
Loan him out
Sell him
TIF Thoughts…
With Engels’ current contract at Villa not expiring until 2024, it would seem strange if the club got rid of him after just one season there.
However, given the fact that Engels didn’t make an appearance for Villa in the league in the final stretch of the previous season, that gives the impression that the Belgian is not an important figure in Smith’s squad.
It will be intriguing to see what Villa decide to do with Engels in the coming weeks. If Smith isn’t going to play him, as we saw at the end of last season, it may be the best option for all involved if the defender joined a club where he would be guaranteed regular game time.