“I’ll give you a cliche answer” – Aston Villa player sits on fence, will decide on transfer soon

Leander Dendoncker was on hand to help Anderlecht beat Gent 1-0 on Sunday, whereupon full-time he was asked about his future.

The 30-year-old returned to the Belgian club in August last year on a loan deal – his second since joining the Midlands club (Napoli) – and his future remains at Villa Park uncertain.

Unai Emery has made it clear that other Villa players are higher up the pecking order: the likes of Jacob Ramsey, Youri Tielemans, and Boubacar Kamara all make the grade over the 30-year-old.

Les Mauve et Blanc have the option to buy the veteran at the end of the season for a fee believed to be around £6 million – but whether they meet it is another matter.

At the start of the month, Gazet van Antwerpen claimed that it was the ‘end of the story’ at Anderlecht for Dendoncker, but other reports have varied.

Asked about whether he will remain with the Belgian side past the season following the win over Ghent, he said to local outlet DH Sports: “I’ll give you a cliché answer: we’ll see after the season.”

Dendoncker joined Villa from rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers for €16m back in 2022. However, the midfielder failed to impress and was subsequently used mainly as a substitute, before exiting on loan to Italy, and then Belgium.