Aston Villa are reportedly making an effort to re-sign Jaden Philogene from Hull City.
Last summer, the Premier League outfit allowed Philogene to make the permanent switch to the MKM Stadium for an undisclosed fee in a deal which helped their efforts to stay on the right side of the top flight's Profit and Sustainability regulations.
The 22-year-old went on to enjoy the best season of his career thus far, contributing 12 goals and six assists from 32 appearances in the Championship.
As a result, there has been no shortage of admirers from the Premier League since the end of 2023-24, with Everton and Ipswich Town both known to be interested.
While there have been conflicting reports over who is Philogene's preference, Ipswich have allegedly had an £18m offer accepted by the Tigers.
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Villa join race for Philogene
According to The Athletic, that development triggered a 72-hour period where Villa could match the bid made by the Tractor Boys.
Villa have subsequently taken up that option and are now very much in the race for the playmaker's signature, with agreeing personal terms not viewed as an issue.
The report adds that Unai Emery is eager to add Philogene to his ranks, Villa in a position to sign him for 30% below what Ipswich have offered due to a sell-on fee that Villa would receive if he chose to move to Ipswich.
Philogene made the last of his six appearances for Villa on the opening weekend of last season's Premier League, playing the final three minutes of the 5-1 defeat at Newcastle United.
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What could happen next?
All eyes will now be on whether Everton decide to up their interest; if the Toffees offer more than the £18m bid made by Ipswich, Villa would need to match that proposal to remain active in the race.
However, the chances are that Everton will only make such a move if they are confident of edging out their rivals for the England Under-21 international's signature.
In theory, Villa now look the clear favourites. Philogene has a chance to play Champions League football with a club that he initially joined in January 2018, when he was 16 years of age.
Although he would not necessarily start the season as first choice, it is a long campaign, and Philogene may only be regarded as being behind Leon Bailey, Moussa Diaby and Morgan Rogers in the pecking order.
