Aston Villa agree £23million winger deal

The 22-year-old academy product joined from Hull for £13.5m last July but has started just four times for Unai Emery’s team.

He is now poised to join Ipswich, ending a curious 18-month journey which has seen him leave Villa for Hull for £5m, only to be bought back and now sold again.

Ipswich had agreed a fee of £18m with Hull to sign Philogene last summer but Villa, at the insistence of Emery, triggered a clause included in the original sale which allowed them to match any bids from rival Premier League clubs.

Philogene promptly returned to the club he first joined as a 15-year-old but struggled to make an impact.

Emery feared Villa had made a mistake by allowing him to leave for Hull and was pivotal in persuading him to return, hoping he could fill the void left by the sale of Moussa Diaby to Saudi Arabia.

But it has not worked out and with Ipswich still keen on the player, Villa have decided to sell with the profit giving the club added wriggle room in the January transfer window. Villa will receive an initial £20m for Philogene, with a further £3m in add-ons.

A deal to sign Netherlands international winger Donyell Malen is expected to go through in the coming days, while Emery is also keen to bolster his defence.

That could see the departure of Diego Carlos with Turkish giants Fenerbahce eyeing a £10m deal for the centre-back.