Newly-promoted Aston Villa are set for extended negotiations with AFC Bournemouth over the permanent signing of Tyrone Mings, according to reports in The Telegraph.
Mings, 26, has been a revelation in B6 since signing on-loan in January, playing a crucial role in central defence for Dean Smith’s side culminating in promotion via the play-off final against Derby.
The revival of Mings, and his switch from left-back to centre-half, was central to Villa’s success in 2018/19.
The club embarked on a club-record 10-match winning run to finish 5th in the Championship, before beating West Bromwich Albion in the play-off semi-finals to set up the £170m match against Derby at Wembley.
Villa are now expected to extend negotiations with Bournemouth with a view to signing Mings permanently for a fee in the region of £15m, and with the club’s owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris stating they wish to exercise caution in the transfer window, a proven player who is already bedded into the Villa Park dressing room at just £15m is a deal that, in the current market, offers unquestionable value-for-money.
Equally, Mings’ loan spell with Dean Smith’s side has come at a crucial time in the Englishman’s career.
Having earned a move to Premier League newcomers Bournemouth in 2015 from Ipswich, Mings found himself firmly out of the first-team picture, making just 17 starts across three and a half seasons on the South Coast.
His arrival at Villa Park in January coincided with a gradual upturn in form before the defender started every single game of Villa’s 10-match winning run.
The defender also defended himself on social media criticism from a Bournemouth fan for wearing a Villa kit when returning to Dean Court on Tuesday, stating that “I genuinely don’t know what’s wound you up about this photo. The fact I’m in the kit of the team I’m on loan to after celebrating the greatest achievement of my career? Makes sense”.
The club’s promotion to the Premier League will open up opportunities for player transfers across the summer, but in terms of defensive acquisitions that offer value, a bid for Mings seems borderline essential for Smith and Villa as they bid to build upon 2018/19’s campaign, and re-establish the Villans as a Premier League side after ending their three year absence at Wembley against Derby.
