Sources: Aston Villa star Leander Dendoncker undergoing Napoli medical as loan-to-buy deal agreed
Aston Villa midfielder Leander Dendoncker is expected for a medical at Napoli on Wednesday (24 January) ahead of an initial loan move to the Serie A club, sources have told Football Insider.
The Italian champions have reached a full agreement with Villa after their loan-to-buy offer for the 28-year-old was accepted.
Napoli can purchase Dendoncker at any time up until the loan’s expiry at the end of the 2023-24 campaign.
It is believed the terms of a contract running until June 2028 have been agreed and will come into place if Walter Mazzarri’s side chooses to activate that option.
Napoli will initially pay a loan fee to take Dendoncker for the rest of the season.
Dendoncker has struggled to win the faith of manager Unai Emery during his time at Villa Park.
The Belgium international has made 30 appearances under Emery but has racked up just under 1000 minutes of action in total since the Spaniard’s appointment.
He has managed just 13 starts in an Aston Villa shirt since joining the club from Wolves in 2022 and costing a reported fee of around £13million.
Dendoncker is adept at centre-back, defensive midfield and central midfield but his versatility has not been fully utilised during his time with the Midlands giants.
The 28-year-old is currently under contract until June 2026 – but that deal will be superseded should Napoli activate their buy option later this year.
Villa also have Boubacar Kamara, Douglas Luiz, Youri Tielemans and John McGinn in their midfield ranks and all four players have been preferred to Dendoncker this term.
Emery’s side sit fourth in the Premier League and are five points adrift of Liverpool as their surprise title challenge continues.
In other news, new Aston Villa clause revealed – they could land £17million within months.
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