Aston Villa may sanction Philogene exit in exciting player trade with AC Milan
Aston Villa could be involved in a player trade deal with AC Milan involving Jaden Philogene, Alessandro Jacobone reports.
Italian journalist Jacobone reported via X [18 December] that AC Milan will offer the forward a way out of Aston Villa and are prepared to offer Samuel Chukwueze.
The 22-year-old returned to Birmingham in the summer after the Villans activated his £13million matching rights clause after a scintillating year at Hull City, but he has since failed to make the desired impact at Villa Park.
Aston Villa could swap Jaden Philogene for Samuel Chukwueze
Unai Emery is eager to bolster his forward line in the January transfer window, and the potential deal with AC Milan could be the perfect solution for his attacking woes at Aston Villa.
While Jhon Duran and Ollie Watkins continue to fight for the honour of leading the line, there is a lack of goals across the board for Villa, who boast the second-worst goal output among the top 10 sides in the Premier League.
Furthermore, the jump to the top flight from the Championship has proven a step too far for Philogene, who has yet to register a single goal contribution in his second spell at Villa Park and has been largely resigned to cameos off the bench.
Chukwueze is enduring a similar situation in Italy – the Nigerian has found the back of the net only twice in his two years with AC Milan and is desperate to seek new pastures in the hopes of replicating his form at Villareal, where he worked under Emery.
The 25-year-old contributed 37 goals and 31 assists for the LaLiga outfit across his five-year spell in the first team, and his pace and dynamism could unlock a whole new dimension to the attacking output at Aston Villa.
Monchi could gift Emery a new attacking option, all while moving on a forward that seemingly should have remained in the Championship, making this is a win-win deal.
In other Aston Villa news, a Besiktas chief names Diego Carlos and one other player the Villans want to sell.
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