Ritchie de Laet arrived at Aston Villa for £2.5million in 2016 but he has made just eight Championship appearances for the club.
Ritchie de Laet is attracting interest from rival clubs as his contract at Aston Villa runs down, according to the Birmingham Mail.
The former Manchester United defender was one of the first players who arrived at Villa after their relegation from the Premier League in 2016. According to the Sun, the Midland giants paid £2.5 million to sign De Laet from Leicester City during Roberto di Matteo’s short-lived spell at the club.
Thanks in part to a serious injury, the Belgian has made just eight Championship appearances for Aston Villa in the last three years. But he is currently soaking up the sun and scoring goals aplenty during a loan spell at Melbourne City.
De Laet has been a huge success Down Under, scoring a remarkable seven goals for Warren Joyce’s side, including this long-range screamer in a 4-1 thrashing of Brisbane Roar earlier in April.
De Laet is out of contract in the summer and, according to the Birmingham Mail, no one should rule out the prospect of the 30-year-old being rewarded with a new deal at Aston Villa.
But the likelihood remains that he will be on his way with rival clubs allegedly weighing up moves for the one-time Middlesbrough and Stoke City full-back.
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