Aston Villa are reportedly set to sell Anwar El Ghazi to PSV in a deal worth up to €3m after he agreed on personal terms with the Dutch giants.
El Ghazi, 27, initially joined Villa on loan from Lille in 2018 before signing on a permanent basis a year later and went on to make 119 appearances for the club, scoring 26 goals along with 16 assists in that time.
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However, having initially been a key figure in the Villa XI, he has gradually slipped down the pecking order and featured less, and particularly after spending time out on loan at Everton last season, it has become clear that he is unlikely to have too many more opportunities at Villa moving forward.
According to De Telegraaf, El Ghazi has now agreed on personal terms with PSV which will see him sign a three-year contract, while it’s reported that Villa and PSV have an agreement over a €2.5m deal, which could rise to €3m in total with add-ons.
Ultimately, it’s a deal that makes sense for all concerned. PSV bolster their options on the wings, El Ghazi gets a chance to enjoy a more prominent role and play more regularly while Villa trim the squad and move on a player who is now surplus to requirements and can reinvestment that money elsewhere.
El Ghazi certainly played a key role in our journey back to the Premier League and having scored some important goals, he will no doubt be remembered fondly by the Villa faithful.
That said, in order to progress and compete at a higher level, the club have identified the need for more quality and consistency in that area of the pitch and with the likes of Emiliano Buendia, Philippe Coutinho and Leon Bailey at Steven Gerrard’s disposal, it’s clear that El Ghazi will play a limited role and needed to move on to kick-start his career again.