Tiago Ilori turns down Sunderland loan move, but is considering Villa switch

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Tiago Ilori, our forgotten Portuguese centre-back, has reportedly turned down a season long loan move to Premier League strugglers Sunderland, according to Paul Joyce of the Express.

The news is a little odd considering the fact that since arriving at the club in 2013 for a cool £7m fee, the 22-year-old hasn’t played a single minute of first-team football.

But he’s considering an offer from Tim Sherwood’s Aston Villa – claims Andy Hunter of the Guardian.

He was shipped out to Granada and then Bordeaux in consecutive seasons, and is currently behind Martin Skrtel, Dejan Lovren, Mamadou Sakho and Kolo Toure in our defensive pecking order – with Joe Gomez also a natural centre-back.

His chances of playing and developing into a competent Premier League defender would surely be boosted by a loan deal to a club in the same league.

There’s a chance he’ll get minutes in the Europa League and the League Cup with us, but if Sakho, a man who’s skippered France, can’t get in the side, Ilori’s opportunities are going to be limited – although many fans would prefer him to Lovren at the back.

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