Leander Dendoncker was a player who tended to divide opinion at Wolves – and the former Molineux man is now making an intriguing move.
The 28-year-old made a move to Wanderers back in 2018, signing on loan initially from Belgian side Anderlecht.
Dendoncker did not initially pull up too many trees, but ultimately convinced Wolves to take up their buy option of around £12 million.
Dendoncker proved useful in certain games for Wolves. He had patches of good form, and he was always seen as a good professional. But the general consensus was that Portuguese technicians Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho were a cut above him. They were certainly favoured more by former Wolves managers Nuno Espirito Santo and Bruno Lage.
Dendoncker left Wolves to join Aston Villa in the summer of 2022, which was a move that did raise some eyebrows. Villa paid approximately £13 million for him and the feeling was that Wolves weren’t really losing a top player.
Since joining Villa, Dendoncker has made just 31 appearances for the club. Last season, he played 1048 minutes, and this term he’s managed just 389 across 15 appearances, indicating that most of his opportunities have been mere cameos from the bench.
As a result of his lack of game time, Dendoncker is now making a move away from Villa – and it is fairly surprising to see where he’s heading…
Former Wolves man Leander Dendoncker now set to join Italian champions Napoli after Aston Villa struggles
It is being reported this evening that Dendoncker is actually now set to complete a loan move to Napoli, who are one of the biggest clubs in Italy and the reigning Serie A champions.
Napoli are having a poor season and currently sit ninth in the table and are looking to strengthen in this window.
They have turned to Dendoncker, with Fabrizio Romano essentially saying the deal is as good as done. He wrote: “Leander Dendoncker to Napoli, here we go! Loan deal agreed between Napoli and Aston Villa. Understand buy option clause in June will be worth €9m – not mandatory. Medical booked on Wednesday for the Belgian midfielder.”
While Napoli may be struggling, it is still a fairly surprising move for Dendoncker.
He has not impressed at Villa so for him to secure a move to a top club like Napoli is very interesting indeed.