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Aston Villa winger Samuel Iling-Junior set to join Bologna on loan

Aston Villa winger Samuel Iling-Junior will return to Serie A to join Bologna on loan for the rest of the season, according to Italian journalist Gianluca DiMarzio.

The England youth international joined the Villans from Juventus last month as part of a double-transfer alongside Enzo Barrenechea which saw Douglas Luiz move in the other direction.

The Midlands club parted with an initial €14 million for Iling-Junior, with €3m to come in add-ons, but they are sending him back to Italy for his development to continue given the options ahead of him in the pecking order under manager Unai Emery.

Despite the versatility of the 20-year-old, he is behind Ian Maatsen, Lucas Digne, Jacob Ramsey, Morgan Rogers, Emi Buendia and John McGinn in the plans of the Spanish boss, and a move to Bologna will give him a realistic chance of playing regular football this season.

The Red and Blues will play in the Champions League group stages this term after finishing fifth in Serie A last season under manager Thiago Motta, and his successor Vincenzo Italiano wants quality depth to challenge across all competitions.

Iling-Junior is an attractive option for Bologna given his experience in Italy and his ability to play as both a winger and wing-back.

The Villa man played 45 games for Juve over the last two seasons, and he will be looking forward to impressing his parent club and Bologna.

As Fabrizio Romano claimed, the Italian club will be covering the wages of the Englishman and there is no option to buy included in the deal, with his medical scheduled for tomorrow.

Having already learnt the Italian language, Iling-Junior is returning to a country he has called home since 2020, and he will fancy his chances of hitting the ground running and returning to Villa as a better player next summer.

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