AS Torino of Italy defender, Ola Aina has finally sealed a move back to England following a deal that will see him play on loan this season with newly promoted Fulham where his younger brother, Jordan, was recently on trial, megasportsarena.com reports.
The older Aina’s fellow-ex-Chelsea of England youth team striker, Timmy Abraham and Nigerian-born midfielder Josh Onomah are also on ground at Craven Cottage to welcome the former Hull City on loan defender, who joined Torino two seasons ago from The Blues.
He had initially been on loan at Torino before sealing a full transfer to The Maroons, following brilliant performances during his first season in the Italian Serie A, but his struggles last term accounted for a slump in status and value for him that has now occasioned his return to London.
The Turin-based side signed Aina for 10 million Euros last summer from Chelsea after his highly successful loan spell and he agreed a five-year contract, but the situation changed last season, and the 23-year-old Super Eagles versatile defender started feeling home sick despite making 32 appearances in the Serie A.
Italian transfer market expert, Gianluca Di Marzio revealed on Sunday that Aina will be joining Fulham on a season-long with a purchase option set at 12.5m euro included in the deal; with The Cottagers also expected to pay a loan fee of 2.5m euro to Torino, who will also get a 10% sell-on bonus if the EPL returnees decide to sell the defender before the expiration of his contract.
Di Marzio added: “An official announcement is imminent with Aina scheduled to undergo a routine medical in the coming days. He didn’t take part in Saturday’s friendly between Torino and Pro Vercelli, remaining rooted to the bench for the entirety of the game.
“Aina was on the books of Chelsea for twelve years before joining Torino on loan in the summer of 2018, then earned himself a permanent move the following season. The 23-year-old made three appearances off the bench when Chelsea won the Premier League title in the 2016-2017 season.”
