Would Ritchie De Laet exit mean Aston Villa are confident of Axel Tuanzebe deal?

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Championship hopefuls Aston Villa reportedly want to land Axel Tuanzebe on loan from Premier League giants Manchester United for the rest of the season.

It could be a case of one in, one out at Aston Villa over the next few days.

According to the Express and Star, Royal Antwerp are in talks to bring Ritchie De Laet back to Belgium on loan for the rest of the season. The former Manchester United player has not made any sort of impact since joining Villa from Middlesbrough in 2016, thanks largely to a serious injury which wrecked his debut season in the Midlands.

Manager Steve Bruce has admitted to the Birmingham Mail that a move away from Villa is probably the best option available to the seldom-seen De Laet right now.

And it seems that the right-back could be replaced almost immediately. Because Aston Villa have been heavily linked with a move to bring in Manchester United starlet Axel Tuanzebe on loan until the summer, as reported by The Mail.

United manager Jose Mourinho believes a short-term exit from Old Trafford will benefit the 20-year-old and it appears that Villa is his most likely destination, as reported by the Manchester Evening News.

Tuanzebe, who is naturally a centre-half but is equally comfortable on the right-side of defence, would move to Villa Park as a replacement, or perhaps even an upgrade on De Laet.

And although a deal has still not gone through despite The Mail stating a week-and-a-half ago that Villa were likely to get their man, reports that De Laet is set for an imminent exit suggests that Tuanzebe’s move is edging closer.

Villa may be confident of getting this deal over the line.