Aston Villa’s Leander Dendoncker was unable to enjoy regular minutes after Unai Emery took charge at Villa Park in November 2022.
The Premier League club sent the 29-year-old on loan to Napoli and then to Anderlecht, who have an option to buy him for €7m in the summer.
Tuesday’s edition of Gazet van Antwerpen claims it’s the ‘end of the story’ at Anderlecht.
There was a lot of excitement when the Belgium international returned to his former club last September.
Dendoncker initially operated as a centre-back before being used in his preferred role as a defensive midfielder. The newspaper claims his performances haven’t been convincing enough for Anderlecht to retain him beyond this season.
GVA state: ‘Dendoncker used to thrive best in the shadows, but as soon as he is in full sunlight, he threatens to wither.’
They state the Aston Villa owned player is ‘not making it difficult’ for Anderlecht sporting director Olivier Renard to make a decision
Dendoncker earns €5m per year at Aston Villa. The Belgian club made efforts to bring him back to the club, but it hasn’t paid off.
He will turn 30 years of age later this month. Taking his age and form into account, it’s not justifiable to pay €7m to Aston Villa, also because Anderlecht won’t be able to earn a fee from his future sale.
After this season, he’ll have to return to Villa Park, where he has no future. His contract at Aston Villa expires in 2026, but the report states he ‘has to leave’ in the summer.
Dendoncker is likely to be made available in the market for a low price and his future will almost certainly be away from Emery’s side.
