Aston Villa close to player exchange with PL club as 27-year-old heads in – journalist
By Amir Mir
Neil Taylor is set to make a switch to Aston Villa with Jordan Ayew heading to Swansea, according to a reliable journalist.
ESPN correspondent Pete O’Rourke has claimed on his personal Twitter account that both clubs have agreed a deal which will see the duo swap divisions.
Left-back Taylor is currently playing for a struggling Swansea side who are aiming to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
The 27-year-old has missed his side’s last two fixtures through injury, but manager Paul Clement has added left-back Martin Olsson during this January window.
By contrast, versatile attacker Ayew is currently away at the Africa Cup of Nations with Ghana as he looks set to swap Steve Bruce’s promotion-chasing team for the top tier.
The 25-year-old has scored just two goals in the Championship this season as Bruce has opted to bring in five additions this month.
One of them includes Icelandic midfield Birkir Bjarnason who can play on the left-hand side of attack, a position which at times Ayew has occupied.
Football Insider verdict:
This is a good deal for Villa. Fans may be looking for the club to increase their attacking power rather than dampen it, but truthfully Ayew has not done much this season. He has played enough games to showcase his talent but has failed to live up to expectations. Adding, Wales international Taylor into their ranks is a magnificent piece of business. Taylor is no doubt a Premier League standard player but now he will be plying his trade in the Championship. His addition in the squad will also provide competition for Jordan Amavi and allow Bruce to mould a team that is worthy of finishing in the top six.
In other Aston Villa transfer news, these three midfielders could join this 22-year-old in jumping ship.
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