Aston Villa are reportedly progressing in talks with Everton over the sale of talented midfielder Tim Iroegbunam this summer.
The 20-year-old made 15 appearances at senior level for Unai Emery last season, and has emerged as one of the top talents from our youth system over the past two years.
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It had been hoped that he would play a more prominent role moving forward as we look to compete on multiple fronts again next season, thus there is a necessity for a squad with quality depth and competition.
However, it appears as though he could move on this summer, as The Athletic report that Villa are in advanced talks with Everton over a transfer deal, and although no agreement has been reached as of yet, the suggestion in the report is that things could progress quite quickly.
Amid ongoing concerns this month over our PSR position, sales are expected before the end of June in order to ensure that we don’t breach those parameters and risk a sanction next season.
In turn, as well as significant speculation that Douglas Luiz is close to joining Juventus, Iroegbunam is the latest of many players paired with an exit, and so it remains to be seen who departs in the next fortnight to help us balance our books and hopefully give us financial strength and flexibility to then spend heavily on reinforcements from July onwards.
Should Iroegbunam move on, there will be a sense of disappointment as many would have had high hopes for the talented youngster, with his technical ability, physicality and athleticism all making him stand out as a top prospect.
Ultimately though, Emery has now had ample time to assess and analyse him at close quarters to determine if he is capable of being a key part of his plans moving forward, or if he’s open to making that sacrifice in order to strengthen and improve his squad as we prepare for another big season.
Our midfield is certainly in focus so far this summer, and so it will be fascinating to see if there is a significant rebuild or reshuffle to give Emery the options that he wants, who prove to be a better fit and can have a more impactful influence for him next season and beyond on a consistent basis.