Villa Bring Back Philogene in £18m Transfer Deal

Aston Villa have successfully re-acquired the services of England Under-21 winger Jaden Philogene from Hull City in a deal worth approximately £18 million. This return sees Philogene head back to Villa Park less than a year after he was sold to Hull, according to BBC.

Philogene, 22, has agreed to a five-year contract with Villa following their decision to match Ipswich Town's £18 million offer for the player. Hull will receive approximately £13.5 million from the transfer fee due to Villa's 30% sell-on clause from their initial agreement with the Tigers.

Despite Ipswich Town's interest, the deal that had sent Philogene to Hull allowed Villa the opportunity to match any offer made for the talented forward. Now, Villa looks forward to having Philogene make significant contributions to their team, boosting their attacking prowess in the 2024-25 season.

Philogene's desire to join Portman Road was disrupted by Villa's late intervention, leading him to fly back from Hull's training camp in Turkey before undergoing a medical examination on Monday.

Having progressed through Villa's youth academy, Philogene's initial arrival to the senior squad saw limited playtime with just six appearances, only one of which was a start. During that time, he had loan spells with Stoke City and Cardiff City.

While Crystal Palace and Everton also showed interest in Philogene, the cost of the potential transfer proved too prohibitive for these clubs. His impressive performances last season for Hull, where he scored 12 goals in 32 games, contributed to the team's seventh-place finish in the Championship.

In addition to the signing of Philogene, Villa is nearing the completion of a £50 million deal for Everton midfielder Amadou Onana. These acquisitions would bring Villa's total spending for the summer transfer window to around £140 million.

Unai Emery, Villa's manager, will be pleased to welcome back Philogene as the latest addition to his squad, alongside Enzo Barrenechea and Samuel Iling-Junior, who arrived from Juventus, as well as signings Ross Barkley and Lewis Dobbin.

Reflecting on his return, Philogne expressed his excitement and feeling of being back home at Villa Park. He emphasized the positive conversation he had with Emery regarding his playing time and the chance to showcase his skills to the fans. Philogene also revealed that playing in the Champions League has been a lifelong dream, which now has the opportunity to become a reality with Villa.

Earlier, SSP told about Hewett's Unforgettable Triumph.