Bristol Rovers win race to sign Aston Villa player | OneFootball

Bristol Rovers are set to sign Lino Sousa on loan from Aston Villa ahead of QPR and Watford.

Bristol Rovers are set to win the race for Lino Sousa of Aston Villa on loan, amid interest from Championship duo QPR and Watford this summer.

According to journalist Darren Witcoop, Watford and QPR have had an interest in bringing the Aston Villa full-back to the club this summer, with the 19-year-old adding extra competition in the wide defensive positions. However, he is on the verge of joining League One side Bristol Rovers instead.

The 19-year-old Sousa only recently completed a permanent move to Villa Park back in February, but instead of moving into the Midlands outfit's first-team or U-21 side, he instead headed straight out on loan to Plymouth Argyle.

The teenager was an Arsenal player until the end of the January transfer window before making the move, but was immediately loaned out to Plymouth. The young defender only managed to start three games during his time at Home Park, with a further five appearances off the substitutes’ bench, but will be eager for more game time to prove himself in the year to come.

Bristol Rovers win the race for Lino Sousa

Portugal-born Sousa only joined Arsenal in the summer of 2022 from West Bromwich Albion, and in his first season with the Gunners he played 23 times at U-21 level whilst also featuring five times in the U-18's run to the FA Youth Cup final.

Sousa, who has been capped by England at five different youth levels, played nine times at U-21/U-23 level for Arsenal in 2023-24, scoring three goals from left-back or left-sided wing-back.

He headed to Villa to continue his long-term development, but Bristol Rovers are the ones that are set to become the benefactors in the short-term at the very least, with Sousa closing in on a switch to the Gas.

Dan Hargraves of Bristol Live has reported the latest on Sousa, whilst Witcoop has revealed the other interested second tier sides in securing the young left-back's services:

As for QPR, Witcoop has revealed that their attentions have turned to Liverpool's Owen Beck to fill the void at left-back.

QPR and Watford set for transfer disappointment

It's clear that both Watford and QPR are light in certain areas of the pitch currently, although left-back was filled earlier in the summer with Yasser Larouci by Tom Cleverley's side.

Should QPR also miss out to Celtic for Beck, then they could be scrambling at the back end of the window for an alternative down their left-hand side.

Kenneth Paal's future remains unclear, so reinforcements down that side are paramount, albeit Sousa is an extremely young and inexperienced player, who should benefit from regular first-team football in League One.

Bristol Rovers have had a decent window so far, and could easily be in the mix for the play-offs, and Sousa will be plying his trade under a good manager for the level in Matt Taylor.