Fabrizio Romano confirms Aston Villa transfer twist for £18m Everton and Ipswich target

Aston Villa have reportedly matched Ipswich Town’s bid for Hull City star Jaden Philogene.

According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Villa have activated the matching rights clause they had for the 22-year-old. Philogene was sold to the Tigers for £5m last summer and now a whole host of Premier League clubs are pursuing him.

It was reported by The Athletic’s David Ornstein that Villa had until Wednesday to activate their matching rights and were ‘ready to activate’ them. Ornstein added though that they respected the player’s wish should he opt to move elsewhere. 

Everton and Ipswich Town are both said to have agreed a move of around £18m for the England under-21 international. Philogene’s preferred destination is Portman Road, but Villa’s decision to match their offer has made for another twist in this ongoing transfer saga.

Should any other club make a larger offer then Villa must then decide whether to stay in the race for Philogene. The player opted to depart Villa Park last summer as he was desperate to be playing regularly at this stage of his career but now the circumstances have changed.

Villa have qualified for the UEFA Champions League and at the moment there is an emphasis on recruiting young players. Given Villa will be playing in a series of competitions, a return to Villa could see Philogene break through in to the first-team with squad depth needed.

The Hammersmith-born forward has just come off a campaign which saw him register 12 goals and six assists in 32 league games. He was a key figure for the Tigers who narrowly missed out on a Championship play-off spot.