Aston Villa man closing in on loan-to-buy exit deal

Aston Villa midfielder Leander Dendoncker is closing in on a loan move to Napoli, according to a report by BirminghamLive, with the Italian side holding an option to buy him on a permanent basis in the summer.

The 28-year-old, who is a Belgium international with 28 caps under his belt so far in his career, has made 15 appearances in all competitions during the first-half of this season, chipping in with a single goal.

Dendoncker joined Aston Villa in September 2022 from fellow Midlands club Wolves and he played 21 times for them altogether in the last campaign.

He is still under contract at Villa Park until 2026 but is being given the green light to head to Italy to get more game time under his belt. His upcoming exit will free up space and funds in Unai Emery's squad to potentially bring in reinforcements between now and the end of the January transfer window.

The Passendale-born man made his name at Anderlecht and broke into their first-team as a youngster. He went on to play 171 matches for the Belgian giants before heading to England in 2018 to join Wolves.

Dendoncker was a regular during his first few years at Molineux before leaving for a fresh start at Aston Villa. He is now poised to depart this winter for a new chapter at Napoli as they look to ris up the table.

They won the title last year but are now sat down in 9th position after a poor campaign.