Aston Villa confirm Holland move for out-of-favour attacker for lowly £2.5m fee

Aston Villa have confirmed that attacker Anwar El Ghazi has joined PSV Eindhoven for an undisclosed fee, thought to be around £2.5million.

The Dutch winger returns to his homeland after a four-year stay at Villa Park, during which time he helped the club win promotion back to the Premier League in his first season.

Indeed, El Ghazi scored the crucial opening goal in the play-off final win over Derby County at Wembley.

The 27-year-old scored six goals in his maiden top-flight campaign in England, going on to score 11 goals in 2020/21.

However, after scoring three times at the start of last term, he then spent the second part of the season on loan at Everton.

The arrivals of Philippe Coutinho, Leon Bailey and Emiliano Buendia ultimately meant his playing time would be limited.

Villa thanked El Ghazi for his stay on their official website, saying: “Everyone at Aston Villa would like to thank Anwar for his service and contribution to the Club and wish him all the best in his future career.”

Steven Gerrard, meanwhile, remains hopeful of adding to his squad before Thursday’s 11pm deadline. However, keeping hold of his top players remains a priority.

Villa have already offloaded wingers Bertrand Traore and Trezeguet this summer to Istanbul Basaksehir and Trabzonspor respectively.

Meanwhile, a number of Premier League clubs remain keen on signing midfielder Douglas Luiz.

Liverpool have been admirers of the player for some time. Chelsea, Arsenal, Newcastle and Tottenham have also all shown interest in a swoop before Thursday’s deadline.

READ MORE: Villa, Wolves launch moves for surprise West Ham ace