Championship duo Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers were reportedly interested in Australia’s World Cup defender Trent Sainsbury.
Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers were both linked with a move for the Australian centre-back Trent Sainsbury back in June via the Mirror (24 June, page 60).
And the Jiangsu Suning defender certainly ramped up speculation about his future earlier this week when he posted a picture of himself at an airport on his official Instagram account.
It seems the rumours were true. Sainsbury is understood to be on his way to Britain and it appears QPR have won the race for his signature.
The Sun (20 July, page 66) is reporting that the Loftus Road outfit are closing in on a six-month loan deal for the 26-year-old. It is understood that they want him as a replacement for Darnell Furlong, who is out with a long-term knee injury.
Sainsbury will join his Aussie teammate Massimo Luongo in West London.
And this is undoubtedly a blow for Aston Villa, particularly as Sainsbury’s availability on loan would perfectly suit a club in a dire financial situation. But with Villa needing to sell before they bring anyone in, it seems time has run out.
Sainsbury, who has had loan spells at Inter Milan and Grasshoppers in the last year, would have been a useful addition to Steve Bruce’s side. Villa have lost both John Terry and Chris Samba while James Chester is expected to leave, too.
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