Aston Villa player nears loan exit; Dean Smith only signed him this year – HITC

Fenerbahce are close to signing Aston Villa striker Mbwana Samatta, according to Fanatic.

The former Genk frontman only arrived at Villa Park in January, signing from the Belgian club in a deal worth £8.5 million, according to the BBC.

Fanatik states the Turkish outfit is closing in on a loan deal for the 51-cap Tanzania international, with an option to buy.

The report adds Fenerbahce are merely counting down the time until Samatta arrives, such is their confidence in the loan deal materialising.

If Dean Smith does offload the 27-year-old, it will feel as if the centre-forward hasn’t been given much of a chance.

Admittedly, scoring just once in 14 Premier League appearances isn’t great but he has only been in England a matter of months.

Couple that with the fact the Premier League is notoriously difficult for foreign players to adapt to and Samatta hasn’t been afforded much patience.

The £28 million signing of Ollie Watkins will undoubtedly have pushed him down the pecking order but his record suggests he could have been a more than competent back-up.

In the 2018/19 campaign Samatta scored 32 goals for Genk – so he knows where the net is.

Hopefully this loan exit won’t spell the end of his time at Villa Park.

In other news, Report: £11m Watford and Celtic target is training alone; no future at current club