Hull City: Surprise Jaden Philogene twist emerges amid Aston Villa, Ipswich Town saga | OneFootball

Philogene remains with the Tigers' first-team squad, despite being heavily linked with a move away from the MKM Stadium.

Aston Villa are now in "pole position" to get a deal over the line for Hull City winger Jaden Philogene.

This is according to Football Insider, who have reported one of a couple of recent twists in this race.

The Tigers' star has attracted plenty of interest in recent weeks, with numerous clubs being linked with a move for the player.

This interest comes just one year after his move away from Villa, with the player doing more than enough during the 2023/24 campaign to allow him to be linked with a move back to the Premier League.

Philogene had already had loan spells in the EFL before his permanent move to the MKM Stadium, but he was able to take his game to a new level under Liam Rosenior, looking a formidable force on the wing and registering plenty of goalscoring contributions.

In the end, the Tigers missed out on the play-offs, but Philogene is one player who can count himself unlucky not to have been part of a promotion-winning team.

However, he may not need to secure promotion to win a place back in the top flight, with several top-tier teams thought to be interested in a move for him.

Pre-season twist revealed in Jaden Philogene saga amid Aston Villa, Everton and Ipswich Town interest

Three teams have been prominent in this race for Philogene, with Ipswich Town believed to be in contention to get a deal over the line for the player, as well as fellow top-tier side Everton.

However, Villa could beat both of those teams in the race, with Unai Emery's side reportedly offering the winger a big contract to make the move back to the Midlands.

Exercising an option to try and recruit the player again, Villa could now be in a strong position to beat others to his signature, with Football Insider reporting that they are now in "pole position" to recruit Philogene.

However, a deal may not be as close to being completed as many may think, with the winger thought to be taking part in the Tigers' pre-season camp.

This is an interesting twist that could signal that an MKM Stadium stay is possible, although that may seem unlikely considering the volume of interest he has attracted recently. However, Hull are willing to retain him if an acceptable deal can't be agreed.

Philogene will surely be leaning on his agent to get a deal over the line.

As for the player, he just needs to focus on the Tigers for now, with his focus on pre-season potentially set to pay dividends for him.

A productive pre-season period could allow him to make a fast start to the 2024/25 campaign and that's exactly what he'll want, whether it's with the Tigers or another club.

With a deal not done yet, it would seem silly for the winger to be fully focused on the transfer speculation that surrounds him, even though it's difficult to escape.

He also has a duty to his current club whilst he's still under contract, so he has no reason not to be with the Tigers' first-team squad unless he's undergoing a medical or finalising a move.