Exclusive: West Brom make loan bid for versatile Aston Villa winger
Albion have made a late transfer window loan offer for versatile Villa winger Samuel Iling-Junior.
Left-sided attacker Iling-Junior, 21, can also play as a wing-back or full-back and is understood to be a target for the Baggies ahead of Monday’s 7pm deadline.
Ryan Mason’s Albion are in the hunt for wide attacking reinforcements following the £10million sale of right winger Tom Fellows to Championship rivals Southampton at the end of last week.
It is believed he has other top-end Championship loan suitors but there is optimism a deal can be done. Iling-Junior is understood to be keen to remain in the area.
While Albion are well-stocked on the left flank with Mikey Johnston and Karlan Grant, they are light deeper down the left side with just Callum Styles as a natural left-back.
Iling-Junior, an England under-21 international, was signed by Villa from Juventus in 2024 for a fee of around £14million alongside Enzo Barrenechea, who also moved to Villa Park. It was said to be related to the transfer that took midfielder Douglas Luiz in the opposite direction.
He had loans at Bologna in Italy and second-tier outfit Middlesbrough last season. Iling-Junior caught the eye with the latter in a left-back role towards the end of last season.
London-born Iling-Junior scored twice in 16 appearances for Bologna in the first half of last season and once in 16 games at Boro later in the campaign. He has yet to make his competitive senior Villa bow but played 45 times for Juventus, 36 in Serie A.
He played 70 minutes at The Hawthorns for England under-21s in March as the Young Lions secured a strong 4-2 win over Portugal under-21s.
Albion had Villa winger Lewis Dobbin on an unsuccessful half-season loan for the first few months of last term.
The Baggies have so far made seven senior summer signings but saw one of their star turns Fellows exit last week, as well as long-serving right-back Darnell Furlong and central defender Caleb Taylor.
Alfie Gilchrist and Chris Mepham signed from Chelsea and Bournemouth in £1.2m and £1m deals respectively as their replacements.
The latter starred in Saturday’s impressive 1-0 win at Stoke City, catching the eye alongside fellow summer recruit Nat Phillips.
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