Ipswich Town have rekindled their transfer interest in Jaden Philogene, five months after striking a deal with Hull City for the England Under-21 international only to eventually miss out on the talented winger.
Town were the frontrunners to sign Philogene from City in the summer after the two clubs agreed a double deal for the winger and his Tigers teammate Jacob Greaves worth just shy of £40m. But he ended up rejoining Aston Villa after they matched the Tractor Boys’ £18m fee under the terms of the buy-back agreement which took him from Villa Park to the MKM Stadium in the summer of 2023.
Philogene has started only four games for Villa this season, with two coming in the Premier League and one each in the Champions League and EFL Cup, among 15 outings overall without a goal nor assist. He has been left frustrated at his lack of action since heading back to the second city.
Reports say Villa boss Unai Emery will allow the 22-year-old out on loan in January, and the Tractor Boys are keen to bring him to Portman Road and see him again link up with Greaves and star striker Liam Delap, currently monitoring the situation involving the ex-Tigers ace.
Philogene was a roaring success at City, bagging 12 goals and six assists in 32 games for the Tigers following his £5m move last summer, with his audacious Rabona strike in the win at Rotherham United in February nominated for the famous Puskas award.
Villa are also preparing to loan out young winger-cum-striker Louie Barry after recalling him from a glittering loan spell at Stockport County, which saw him bag 15 goals and collect three assists in 23 League One games, amid an expectation he will join a club in the Championship this month.