Should Aston Villa let go of Ritchie De Laet in the January transfer window?
De Laet has been on the books of Villa since the summer of 2016 when he joined from Leicester City for a transfer fee reported by The Sun to be worth £2.5 million, with the 29-year-old defender reportedly given a contract worth £30,000 per week.
The Belgian defender, who won the Premier League with Leicester in 2015-16, has failed to make an impact at Villa Park so far.
The 29-year-old has fallen down the pecking order at Villa, and club manager Steve Bruce has admitted that the former Manchester United prospect could be moved on.
“We’re in this horrible situation where he needs games,” Bruce told The Birmingham Mail about De Laet.
“The best thing would be to go and play for a month and then come back because he just needs games and game-management. Unfortunately we can’t give him it and he gets nothing from the U23 games.”
De Laet is a good and solid defender who knows English football well, but given that he is not getting enough playing time at the moment, it would make sense for him to leave Villa in the January transfer window.
According to Express & Star, Villa and Royal Antwerp are in discussion over a loan deal.
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