Aston Villa are considering recalling Samuel Iling-Junior from his season-long loan at Bologna.
Villa are expected to make a decision next week amid a concern over the 21-year-old’s lack of minutes during his loan spell.
Iling-Junior joined Bologna in the summer but has made just 12 appearances in all competitions and is yet to start a Serie A match.
As he is yet to make a competitive appearance for Villa this season, he would be permitted to join a new club on loan for the second half of the campaign.
The Athletic reported in November’s DealSheet that Villa would be making a judgement on players out on loan, with the club already announcing they will recall forward Louie Barry from his loan spell at Stockport County in January.
Villa signed Iling-Junior from Juventus in July alongside Enzo Barrenechea for a combined fee of €22million, with both players agreeing five-year deals. In a separate deal between the clubs, Juventus signed midfielder Douglas Luiz from Villa for €50m.
Iling-Junior and Barrenechea were both left out of the Villa squad for their opening two matches of the season, with the club taking a long-term approach with the pair. The Athletic reported in August Iling-Junior was exploring potential loan options as he was keen for regular game time, and this was accepted by Villa as a way to accelerate his development.
However, he has started just three matches in all competitions for Bologna and has been restricted to five substitute appearances in Serie A.
Barrenechea, meanwhile, has had a more productive spell on loan at Valencia this season to aid his development, with nine of his 12 La Liga appearances coming as a starter, and Villa are hoping for similar for Iling-Junior.
GO DEEPER
Iling-Junior’s journey from Chelsea to Serie A and Villa, by those who know him
(Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images))
