Aston Villa are reportedly set to cut short the loan spells of Finn Azaz and Lamare Bogarde, with fresh exits expected this month.
Azaz, 23, has impressed on loan at Plymouth this season having scored seven goals and provided five assists in 26 appearances in the Championship.
READ MORE: Villa ace linked with exit but potential void would need to be filled
Despite arriving at Villa in July 2021, he has yet to feature for the club having been sent out on loan on three occasions, and it appears as though he could now be set for a permanent departure.
As per The Athletic, Middlesbrough are set to sign Azaz in a deal worth £2.5m, and so that is likely to bring an end to his time at Villa and give him an opportunity to solidify his future elsewhere.
Given the promise that he has shown, there is some disappointment that he couldn’t make a breakthrough with us, but ultimately given the quality at the club under Unai Emery and the expectation that we will continue to strengthen, it seems highly unlikely that he would ever get a chance to impress.
In turn, it’s another sound investment that has paid off, and hopefully the deal, should it go through as expected, works out for all concerned, albeit it could be argued that the fee isn’t as high as hoped.
Meanwhile, the Athletic also report that Villa are set to recall Bogarde from his loan stint at Bristol Rovers, as he has struggled for playing time in recent weeks and so a loan move elsewhere will prove to be more beneficial.
The 19-year-old was a prominent figure earlier in the season having made 19 appearances, but his last league outing came on November 28, and so it would be a sensible move from Villa to find him another temporary club to help him improve and develop his game by gaining experience through regular minutes.
Villa’s management of our youth talents will be a key component of our overall strategy moving forward, as although the hope is always that we can bring through youngsters and they in turn make an impact at senior level, exits and the transfer fees are key too.
We’ve already seen that with the departures of Aaron Ramsey, Jaden Philogene and Cameron Archer last summer, and so this could be a pattern that continues as we consider the financial and sustainability aspects of our transfer activity.
