Former Aston Villa youngster attracting interest from elite clubs

Former Aston Villa player Jaden Philogene is attracting plenty of interest this summer from clubs at the top level. The likes of Barcelona have been linked with signing the youngster this summer and any deal made is likely to be of interest to Villa.

It was reported earlier in the week that the Spanish giants were interested in making an initial approach to sign the player. Now, Everton have joined the race and are likely to make an offer in the region of £16 million for Philogene. Fellow Premier League outfits West Ham United and Ipswich Town have also been linked with a move.

Philogene impressed in his first season at Hull City, scoring 12 goals and assisting 6 in the Championship last season. Many fans will remember his incredible goal away at Rotherham which saw him beat the keeper with a rabona finish from a tight angle (check it out on YouTube if you haven't seen it!).

It is believed that the terms of the contract that Philogene signed with Hull after leaving Villa included a buy-back clause that would have seen Villa given the option to buy the player back had Hull won promotion to the Premier League. However, they did not achieve promotion and it seems as though Fabrizio Romano understands that Villa may have put another clause in that contract. He believes Villa will be contact if or when a bid is made and they will be offered the opportunity to make their own matching, or better, offer.

The young Englishman from Hammersmith was signed by the Aston Villa academy in 2018 at the age of 17 and quickly made a good impression. Over the course of three years, Philogene finished his time with the Villa academy with 22 goals and 5 assists in 42 games (split between U18 and U23). Following a series of impressive performances, Philogene was promoted to the first team and made his Premier League debut off the bench in Aston Villa's 2-1 victory away at Tottenham in 2021.

Philogene struggled to keep his name in the hat for a regular place in the first team squad however and therefore went on to complete loan spells at Stoke City and Cardiff City. It was at Cardiff in particular where he impressed hugely having played the majority of the games in their 2022/23 Championship season. Philogene returned to Villa and again showed glimpses of real promise during Unai Emer's first pre-season with the club. He scored in the clubs pre-season win against Fulham and impressed during others. It was expected that the player would stay at the club following that pre-season.

However, Philogene wanted regular playing opportunities and Emery wasn't prepared to guarantee him that which led to his permanent move to Hull City for a fee around £5 million.

It is likely that Philogene will be on the move this summer, and Barcelona are expected to cement their interest should they fail to convince Nico Williams to join the club.

UTV