Aston Villa are reportedly set to re-sign Jaden Philogene after reaching an agreement with Hull City, while a medical is expected to take place in the next 48 hours.
Philogene, 22, came through the youth ranks with us and having impressed, he eventually made his breakthrough at senior level.
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Loan stints with Stoke City and Cardiff City continued to help with his development, and after standing out in our pre-season schedule last summer, it looked as though he was on the verge of making an impact under Unai Emery.
However, he was ultimately sold to Hull City last September and went on to score 12 goals and provide six assists in 33 appearances across all competitions. Having benefitted from being able to play regularly with the Championship outfit, Philogene showcased his quality and potential, and that has seemingly led to earning a return to Villa.
As per Fabrizio Romano, Villa activated a matching-rights clause after Ipswich Town made an offer to sign him, and he will now return in a deal worth £13m, while he’ll put pen to paper on a five-year contract.
He adds that Emery wanted the talented winger back, with a medical and the formalities of the move to follow, and so it’s an exciting development to see Philogene get another opportunity to establish himself with us in the coming years.
Meanwhile, the Athletic add that an agreement has been reached with Hull and a medical is expected to take place in the next 48 hours, with the fee we’re paying being reduced due to a 30 percent sell-on clause included in the deal that took him to Hull last summer.
Despite already having Emiliano Buendia, Morgan Rogers, Jacob Ramsey, Leon Bailey and Moussa Diaby available to play in wide areas, Emery evidently likes what he’s seen from Philogene since he left us, and believes that he will be an important asset in his squad moving forward.
Time will tell if that’s with the view of perhaps selling another player to balance our spending and make space in the squad, but for now, with many hoping last year that Philogene would get a chance to make a name for himself as a first-team player at Villa after looking so impressive, it looks like it could now materialise if he returns as expected.