'Agreement close' - Middlesbrough near surprise signing of £19m Aston Villa star

Aston Villa have recalled Samuel Iling-Junior from his loan at Bologna and he is expected to spend the rest of the season at Middlesbrough.

The Telegraph reports Villa have already terminated Iling-Junior’s spell in Serie A with the plan to loan him elsewhere. Boro are in advanced talks and an agreement is said to be very close for the winger who has featured eight times in the UEFA Champions League this season.

Iling-Junior joined Villa last summer in a combined £19 million arrival from Juventus, alongside defensive midfielder Enzo Barrenechea. Both players joined as part of the deal that saw Douglas Luiz move to Juventus for around £42 million.

Eleven times an England Under-21 international, Iling Junior is yet to make a competitive appearance for Villa. Unai Emery still hopes the 21-year-old can play a part in the future but he’s not in the current plans, hence the two loans this campaign.

Middlesbrough, in seventh position and one point behind West Bromwich Albion with a game in hand, are currently firmly in the Championship play-off battle. Michael Carrick will be hoping the arrival of Villa’s number 17 will boost their chances.

Iling Junior played 45 times for Juventus - mainly off the bench - before his transfer to Villa Park, scoring two goals and making four assists. Highly thought of and with high potential, the Englishman was once linked with a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.