Aston Villa's Leander Dendoncker close to Real Oviedo move
There will be no fee involved with Aston Villa for the midfielder, who has one year left on his existing contract but is out of Unai Emery's plans. Although an agreement is close, there are still details to be discussed between Dendoncker and the La Liga club and a medical has not been planned yet.
The Belgium international has not featured in pre-season, with Villa making it clear he can leave. Dendoncker, 30, spent last season at Belgian Pro League club Anderlecht, who decided against taking up the option of making his loan permanent.
His departure would free up the squad's wage bill and help with UEFA's Squad Cost Rules (SCR), along with the departure of Jacob Ramsey, which states that a club cannot spend more than 70 per cent of their overall revenue on player salaries.
The Athletic has previously reported that Villa are relying on multiple outgoings — Dendoncker, Ramsey and Leon Bailey, who is advancing on joining AS Roma — to sanction any potential incomings.
Dendoncker joined Villa from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2022 and has made 36 appearances. He spent the second half of the 2023-24 season on loan at Serie A side Napoli.
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