Aston Villa selling midfielder back to former club

Two summers ago, Moroccan midfielder Karim El Ahmadi joined Aston Villa for a fee of around £2 million. KEA was manager Paul Lambert's first signing at B6, and he now looks set to be moving back to the Eredivisie club, albeit for a cheaper price. The reported fee is around 700,000€, after Villa rejected a bid around 400,000 the other day.

Although we haven't seen him yet this year, El Ahmadi could provide good midfield depth this season. He probably shouldn't start though, and if he wants regular playing time the move makes a lot of sense. It also makes sense because if a central midfielder was sold, room would be freed for the signing of Manchester United's Tom Cleverley. Cleverley would cost about £8 million, so the KEA fee wouldn't really cover much of that, but every little bit helps, right?

Do you think getting rid of El Ahmadi is a smart move? Let us know in the comments!