Hull City player considers Aston Villa U-turn in potential Ipswich Town blow | OneFootball

The winger is the subject of strong interest from a number of Premier League clubs this summer, but could opt to return to his former employer

Aston Villa could be set to hijack Ipswich Town's move for Hull City's Jaden Philogene in a new twist to the winger's summer transfer saga.

The 22-year-old was thought to be heading to Portman Road after a bid was accepted, but a recent report by HITC suggests that Philogene's former club, Villa, are now holding talks with the young starlet to discuss a return to Villa Park.

That the Villans have managed to insert themselves into this deal is due to a clause in the original deal that saw him move from Villa to Hull.

It therefore seems that Kieran McKenna's side now have an anxious wait to see which destination their target opts for.

Prior to HITC's report, journalist David Ornstein had reported that the Tractor Boys had had an £18million bid for Philogene accepted by Hull, and the player was set to pick Ipswich as his new club and complete a medical.

However, Ornstein also noted that Villa still held 'matching rights' over the young forward until Wednesday (10 July).

When the Villans sold Philogene to the Tigers last summer, they included an option to buy the player back for £15million. This clause did allow Hull to consider offers over that sum, but Villa must be informed and allowed to match the higher bid, should it arrive.

It was originally reported that this clause was only active if Hull won promotion to the Premier League, but these recent reports suggest that is not the case.

Ornstein reported that Philogene is set to pick Ipswich and that Villa intend to respect his wishes, but that was before HITC's report that Villa have now opened talks.

It suggests that the Midlands club feel they have a chance of convincing the youngster to return, which would come as a massive blow to Hull at this stage.

Philogene still attracting attention from elsewhere

Ipswich, as Premier League new boys, have enough of a job on their hands trying to land Philogene against the advances of his former club Villa, but there are other top-flight sides to contend with on top of that.

Both Everton and Crystal Palace have been credited with an interest, with the former having also tabled a successful bid, but Philogene had reportedly chosen Portman Road as his favoured destination.

The 22-year-old is in strong demand following an eye-catching debut season at Hull, scoring 12 goals and providing six assists in 32 Championship appearances.

If the Tractor Boys are to win the race, it would be a strong show of faith from the player on account of the options thought to be on the table.

Ipswich could be the best bet for Philogene

As he has found with Hull, sometimes dropping down a level or not opting for the highest-ranked team available can really work in a young player's favour.

It's hard to imagine the winger would have caused a fight between three Premier League clubs to pay nearly £20million for his signature if he had remained on the periphery at Villa.

With eyes on competing in the Champions League and retaining their European place, it's easy to imagine how Philogene might get lost at Villa Park.

At Portman Road, he is likely to find much more consistent Premier League minutes, providing him with the stage to prove what he can do at the top level, under a young and ambitious coach in McKenna.

As at Hull with promotion missed, if Ipswich fail in their objective of staying in the Premier League, Philogene may still give a good account of himself in the division and find himself in a similar scenario 12 months down the line.

No doubt Philogene has a lot to consider right now, but he has proven that he can make the right decision for his career before. Game time is far more important than the seniority of the club at Philogene's age, as his past experience shows.