Aston Villa defender Frederic Guilbert is expected to be loaned out before the January transfer window shuts as he finds himself behind Matty Cash and Ahmed Elmohamady in the pecking order.
However, Football Insider has reported that the Frenchman has turned down the chance to spend six months at Istanbul Basaksehir because he wants to stay close to home. According to the source, the 26-year-old would prefer a move in England so that he is not forced to uproot for the remainder of the season.
The development may not be to Dean Smith’s liking as the manager had given Guilbert the green light to leave for a number of months and was apparently keen on him securing a January loan move (Football Insider).
Cash has been a regular at Villa Park since his summer move from Nottingham Forest, playing in 14 Premier League games this season. Elmohamady has consistently made the matchday squad, featuring in six league games and being an unused substitute nine times. Guilbert has made the bench in recent weeks but doesn’t have a league appearance to his name in 2020/21.
The Frenchman could benefit from getting first team football away from the Midlands outfit, but it now remains to be seen where he will end up next.
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Although the Turkish champions wanted to sign Guilbert, it’s unlikely that he would have been a regular at the Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium with Rafael being their first-choice right-back and Ugur Ucar providing backup.
Therefore, even if Smith still wants to see him obtain game-time elsewhere, the Frenchman has probably made the right decision not to swap the Midlands for Istanbul.
