Aston Villa are set to lose one of their most senior players on transfer deadline day, and NSWE's late attempt to secure a replacement looks to have failed, according to reports.
Aston Villa deadline day transfer news
The Villans have been one of the busiest sides in the Premier League this summer, snapping up nine new faces as Unai Emery looks to build a squad capable of challenging on four fronts, albeit a few of those faces have already left either permanently or on loan.
NSWE, Emery, and Monchi aren't slowing down either, and have been strongly linked with some exciting business on deadline day. Indeed, the Villans have been mentioned in connection with Feyenoord defender Lutsharel Geertruida for some time now, while there have also been rumblings of a deal for Barcelona and former Leeds United superstar Raphinha.
The Brazil international is reportedly considered to be the perfect replacement for Moussa Diaby after his departure to Saudi Arabia, although those at Villa Park are running out of time to get such a blockbuster deal done.
Villa hijack for Dendoncker replacement fails
One move that now looks extremely likely to happen however is the exit of experienced midfielder
Leander Dendoncker, who can also play at centre-back. He is thought to be closing in on a move to boyhood club Anderlecht, according to a report from Give Me Sport.
What's more, the Villans look to have failed in their attempts to secure an immediate replacement for the 32-cap Belgium international, as Give Me Sport's report shares news from Fabrizio Romano about a failed attempt to sign Giovani Lo Celso from Tottenham.
Villa are said to have made a late play to hijack the 28 year-old Argentina international, but he has rejected the chance to stay in England because he prefers a move back to Spain, where he will join Real Betis in a deal that will also give Spurs first right of refusal on Betis' own midfielder Johnny Cardoso.
Whether or not Villa now go back into the market to find a different replacement for Dendoncker is not clear, but they will certainly be losing a fair bit of experience if he completes his exit, having racked up over 150 Premier League appearances during his time in England, scoring ten goals, although only one of those strikes came in a Villa shirt.
