Exclusive: Expected winner named in race to sign Aston Villa star

Anderlecht are set to win the race to sign Aston Villa midfielder Leander Dendoncker, sources have told Football Insider.

The Belgian international has found himself well down the pecking order at Villa Park and the West Midlands giants are open to offers for him before the transfer window closes.

Dendoncker, who is under contract until 2026, is yet to feature for Villa this season and hasn’t been included in the match-day squad for either of the opening two Premier League fixtures. 

The 29-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Napoli, but he failed to make an impact in Italy after making just three appearances during his time at the Diego Maradona Stadium.

Sources say Anderlecht are now ready to offer Dendoncker a route out of Villa as they look to bring their former youth product back to the club.

The versatile player, who can operate in midfield or at centre-back, made 171 appearances for Anderlecht before leaving the Belgian side for Wolves in 2018.

Leander Dendoncker set for move after difficult Aston Villa spell

Dendocker enjoyed a solid spell at Molineux after making 159 appearances for Wolves, where he scored 12 goals and laid on four assists.

But since making the £13million move to Villa in September 2022, the Belgian has found regular first-team football hard to come by.

After making 26 appearances during his first campaign at Villa Park, he saw his minutes drastically reduced under Unai Emery last season, having started in just five of his 15 outings before joining Napoli on loan in January.

But Dendocker failed to start in any of his three appearances for the Serie A side and only played a combined total of 21 minutes – the last of which came against Sassuolo in February.

After Villa have made him available for a move this summer, Anderlecht are now set to win the race for the Belgian’s signature before the transfer window slams shut.

In other news, major update on Villa submitting “big” offer for Barcelona star.

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The post Exclusive: Expected winner named in race to sign Aston Villa star appeared first on Football Insider.