Tim Iroegbunam
Tim Iroegbunam(Image: Photo by Matt McNulty - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
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Former Aston Villa midfielder Tim Iroegbunam could be set for a £20m Premier League switch from Everton, to newly-promoted Hull City.
The Tigers are looking to add some strength and experience to their squad ahead of their opening top-flight fixture against Manchester United on August 22.
The 22-year-old was sold to Everton for £9m, with Lewis Dobbin moving in the opposite direction. Iroegbunam had made 12 Premier League appearances for Villa in the three years since he was signed from West Brom, but ultimately was sacrificed to help boost the club's position regarding profit and sustainability rules.
Speaking about his Villa Park exit, he told the Liverpool Echo: "I didn’t really get much of a chance or show my true self at Villa.
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"Obviously there’s frustration about not getting more chances at Villa but the game it’s hard at times and there’s nothing you can do about it, you’ve just got to take your opportunities when they come, and perhaps I didn’t full take them with two hands. I knew if I did well in pre-season that there’d be an opportunity for me, so I guess I did do."
The talented 22-year-old is one of a number of new recruits City are casting an eye over, but the former West Brom and Villa youngster, who won the European Under-19 Championships with England, is one of significant interest, Hull Live reports.
Birmingham-born Iroegbunam joined Everton from Villa two years ago for a reported £9m fee, and has one year left on his deal at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. It isn't believed there was a sell-on fee included in the deal.
Despite moving on from Villa after three seasons, Iroegbunam admitted that it was not too difficult to depart due to leaving his previous club West Bromwich Albion after coming through the club's academy system.
“I was there three years (Villa), so it was part of my life, but I wouldn’t say it was tough (to leave) because before that I was at West Brom. You’re going to have to move, so you just get on with it. It happens in football.”
Last term, the dynamic performer played 29 times in the Premier League for David Moyes' men, adding to the 18 appearances he amassed in the season before that. Prior to his move to Merseyside, Iroegbunam played 12 times in the top flight for Villa, and he's had fleeting experience operating in the Conference League with his hometown club.
City are not the only club to be monitoring Iroegbunam, who came close to leaving Everton in January, with newly-promoted Ipswich Town also credited with interest.
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