Aston Villa defender Alex Moreno set for Nottingham Forest medical ahead of season-long loan – with Omar Richards making way to go to Portugal
- Alex Moreno will undergo a medical on Wednesday in preparation for a season-long loan
- Forest defender Omar Richards has joined Portuguese club Rio Ave on loan
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Aston Villa left-back Alex Moreno will undergo a medical at Nottingham Forest on Wednesday ahead of his loan move.
Moreno, who can also play as a left winger, was behind Lucas Digne and £37.5million summer signing Ian Maatsen in the Villa Park pecking order.
After the 2-1 win over West Ham on Saturday, Villa manager Unai Emery said Moreno was “close to leaving”.
“We signed Ian Maatsen and spoke to several players for this position. Now we are struggling to deal with three specific left-backs,” Emery said.
The 31-year-old joined Villa from La Liga side Real Betis in January 2023 and made an immediate impression upon arrival, forming a promising partnership with Jacob Ramsey on the left flank.
Alex Moreno has completed a medical with Nottingham Forest ahead of a season-long loan move
The Spanish left-back joined Aston Villa from LaLiga club Real Betis in January 2023.
But Moreno’s season was ended prematurely when he suffered a hamstring injury against Liverpool on May 20.
Moreno did not return for Villa until 30 November in a Europa Conference League match against Legia Warsaw, in which he scored the winning goal.
The Spaniard still has a two-year contract with Villa.
Moreno will compete with Ola Aina and Harry Toffolo for the starting position at left-back.
However, Aina was forced to be substituted early in Forest’s 1-1 draw with Bournemouth due to injury.
Should Aina be forced to miss the August 24 clash against Southampton, Forest manager Nuno Esperito Santo will hope Moreno’s deal can be completed in time for him to be included in the squad.
In terms of Forest’s outgoing fixtures, defender Omar Richards has been loaned to Rio Ave in Portugal.
Richards, who played for Bayern Munich before moving to City Ground in 2022, has yet to feature for Forest.
Omar Richards, now at Nottingham Forest, was once on the payroll of German giants Bayern
The 26-year-old player spent last season on loan at Olympiacos and made 14 appearances in all competitions for the Greek powerhouse.
He hopes for more playing time at Rio Ave, who finished 11th out of 18 teams in the Liga Portugal last season.