Mbwana Samatta struggled in his debut season at Aston Villa with just two goals in 16 games and was loaned out to Fenerbahce in September.
The season-long loan move included an option to buy, so it was expected that the 28-year-old would become a permanent player for the Istanbul club at the end of the season. However, according to Belgian journalist Florian Holsbeek on Twitter, he is a wanted man back in the Jupiler Pro League, with Club Brugge hoping to sign the former Genk striker.
🚨Le Club de Bruges fait le forcing pour Aly Samatta. Prêté au Fenerbahçe, il ne joue plus. Bruges veut en profiter avec un attaquant qui connait le championnat et Philippe Clement. Un prêt avec option d'achat est sur la table #jpl #clubbrugge pic.twitter.com/ukHrSkH5yb
— Florian Holsbeek (@Florianholsbeek) December 22, 2020
The journalist claimed that Club Brugge are ‘pushing for’ Samatta, who has previously worked under their current manager Philippe Clement. A loan move with an option to buy is on the table, with the striker currently sidelined with a knee injury during a frustrating spell in Istanbul.
Club Brugge’s hopes of signing Samatta could depend on his current loan being cancelled in January. Whether that is possible remains to be seen, however, as Fenerbahce agreed to pay £5.5m for the striker in 2021 and announced that they had signed him on a four-year deal. Therefore, the issue of breaking contract could come into play and cause complications.
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Samatta impressed in Belgium in the past, scoring 76 goals in 191 games for Genk, so it’s easy to see why Brugge are interested. Whether they can actually hijack Fenerbahce’s deal is another matter, though, as the buying option appears to be obligated.
Either way, that this is being considered a possibility hints that the 28-year-old has little or no future at Villa Park, despite only coming to the club at the start of this year.
In other news, Gregg Evans has cited a striker outscoring Ollie Watkins this season as a possible January signing for Villa.
