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Fulham are the latest Championship club to join the race to sign Aston Villa midfielder Aaron Tshibola, according to a report from Here Is The City this evening.

The 21 year-old midfielder is expected to move on January having struggled for first team opportunities at Villa Park after Steve Bruce replaced the sacked Roberto Di Matteo. Tshibola, a £5m capture from Reading in July, has made just a solitary appearance since Bruce took charge and has already been the subject of significant interest from a number of clubs. Wigan Athletic are said to be one of the latest sides to register an interest in signing the former England youth international, although much depends on whether Villa would consider a loan move rather than seeking to recoup the substantial fee they paid the Royals straight away.

Tshibola, who joined Reading’s academy at the age of nine, made his senior debut as a substitute against Nottingham Forest in August 2014 and enjoyed a successful loan spell with League Two Hartlepool United the following January. The midfielder made 23 appearances under Ronnie Moore, seeing his loan deal extended until the end of the campaign after the manager commended his commitment to the club, and Tshibola followed that up with sixteen appearances for the Royals the following season before his move to Villa. He has played seven games for Villa, scoring a late equaliser in their 1-1 draw with Newcastle United back in September.

Where he would fit into Fulham’s midfield is an intriguing question given the options that Slavisa Jokanovic has at his disposal. Tom Cairney and Stefan Johansen are the Serbian head coach’s preferred central midfield partnership with Kevin McDonald sitting deeper protecting the back four and Fulham have plenty of options in reserve including Ryan Tunnicliffe, club captain Scott Parker and academy graduate Lasse Vigen Christensen.