Aston Villa will see Leander Dendoncker return to the club next month, as Napoli have confirmed that they will not be signing him on a permanent basis.
The 29-year-old joined the Serie A giants on loan in January, but it proved to be a difficult experience for him as he featured just three times, totalling just 24 minutes of playing time.
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Unsurprisingly, Napoli have now confirmed that they will not be exercising their option to sign the Belgian international outright, and have bid farewell to him in an official statement.
Given the decision from Unai Emery and Villa to approve of a loan exit last season, it doesn’t appear as though Dendoncker has a future with us either, and so it remains to be seen if an alternative solution can be found to suit all parties.
Frustratingly, his lack of football at Napoli will likely work against us in trying to find another interested party, as although he’s experienced, possesses technical ability and can provide a physical presence in midfield, it may be difficult to shift him off the books permanently in the coming weeks.
That would be the ideal outcome for all concerned at this stage it seems, with Dendoncker getting the chance to play a more prominent role elsewhere, while Villa move on an expendable player and free up both space and finances to improve our squad further.
There is also seemingly somewhat of a midfield reshuffle happening this summer at Villa too, with Tim Iroegbunam and Douglas Luiz departing, and so activity is certainly expected to address that area of Emery’s squad by bringing in individuals who are better suited to his ideas and style and can execute his instructions more effectively and consistently.
Having had his chance to solidify his place in the plans of the Villa boss already, it would be some turnaround to see Dendoncker feature for us next season, and so time will tell if he’s able to find a different solution to start the next chapter of his career elsewhere.