John Townley's notebook: Jaden Philogene transfer detail emerges as loan moves lined up

The summer transfer window is in full swing and Aston Villa are working hard behind the scenes to improve Unai Emery's squad.

After signing five players and selling three, including Douglas Luiz to Juventus for £42m to help with the club's position regarding Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), Monchi will be busy until the window slams shut at the end of August.

Villa are currently working on a deal to re-sign Jaden Philogene after activating their option to match a bid accepted by Hull City for the winger, which was £18m from Ipswich Town. It is now up to the player as to where he goes next.

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PHILOGENE'S FUTURE EXPLAINED

Everton and Crystal Palace are also interested in Philogene, but will have to pay more than the £18m offered by Ipswich to sign him and hope he doesn't want to return to Villa if indeed they match another offer.

The Athletic have reported that the £18m fee would be reduced by 30 per cent if Villa were to sign the 22-year-old because of a sell-on clause that was placed in the terms that took him to Hull.

Philogene hit top form for Hull in the first half of last season, before he suffered a knee injury which kept him out from mid-December until the end of January, seeing him miss eight league games.

"His performances have been really really good as a wide player," former Hull boss Liam Rosenior said last season. "I think what's happened with Jaden, over his career, he scored five goals before he came here in maybe 40 games. He came here and we said he would fit into our system and he played like a house on fire.

"He was playing freely, he got a really unfortunate and serious knee injury. It's a medial knee injury and like any player, it takes time to get back from so he gets back in and around February after nearly three months out.

"One of the things I've been saying all season is about unrealistic expectations. He's 22 years old, he's going to have highs, he's going to have lows. What we can't do is pin all of our hopes on him, he's a fantastic young player, he's got an unbelievable career ahead of him, he's a great lad."

Philogene scored six goals after returning from injury in the club's last 18 Championship matches, but it wasn't enough for the Tigers to cement themselves in the play-offs.

CLARET & BLUE CATCH-UP

LOAN MOVES LINED UP

A number of Villa's young talents are expected to leave on loan moves, including Tommi O'Reilly, who is set to join Shrewsbury Town on loan for the campaign. He and Josh Feeney spent the second half of last season on loan at Spanish third-tier side Real Union.

Feeney played eight games for Real Union last season and started five times, while O'Reilly featured in two matches after picking up an injury shortly after arriving on loan. Villa could send a number of players to Real Union this summer, two of which under consideration are understood to be defender Sil Swinkels and goalkeeper James Wright. Both players signed new contracts earlier this year.

Another goalkeeper, Filip Marschall, has been training with Crewe Alexandra with a view of joining them on loan. Marschall spent the second half of last season on loan at MK Dons.

VILLA TO COMPETE IN 2024 PL NEXT GENERATION CUP

Villa's academy will compete in the Premier League Next Generation Cup this summer, facing teams from India and South Africa. The fifth edition of the tournament will run from 1-4 August and sees Villa, Everton, Crystal Palace and Tottenham go head-to-head with East Bengal FC, Muthoot FA, Punjab FC and Stellenbosch FC.

Bodymoor Heath will host four match rounds, with two groups of four clubs playing each other before proceeding to a final fixture based on the final standings.

The final will be held at Loughborough University Stadium, where this year’s winners will be crowned. All matches will be 11-a-side and will be 50 minutes long, with two 25-minute halves being played in each fixture.

Neil Saunders, the Premier League’s Director of Football, said: “The Premier League is once again delighted to be hosting the Next Generation Cup and looks forward to what promises to be another great tournament.

"The event serves as a fantastic learning experience for the young players both on and off the pitch, providing them with a platform to interact with one another as well as learn about each other's cultures.

"It builds on our continued support for the development of the game in India and we hope everyone taking part has an enjoyable and beneficial experience.”

News of the 2024 tournament comes after Villa won the inaugural Under-18 Premier League Next Gen Berlin Cup.

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