Tranmere Rovers have agreed a deal to sign Aston Villa forward Rushian Hepburn-Murphy on a loan deal, according to Football Insider.

The 20-year-old is set to undergo a medical today after the two clubs finally agreed over the terms of the loan, with Rovers keen to get the deal over the line before their season opener against Rochdale.

Hepburn-Murphy is not thought to feature in Dean Smith's plans ahead of Villa's Premier League return, and the former Brentford boss believes a temporary move away would aid the attacker's development.

The Villa youth product made five appearances under Steve Bruce at the start of last season, but he did not feature for the club following Dean Smith's appointment and spent the second half of the season on loan at Cambridge United.

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Hepburn-Murphy scored two goals in his 16 appearances for the League Two outfit, and he is now set to move up a division from last season when his loan switch to Tranmere is finalised.

The verdict

This would be a good move for all concerned, as Hepburn-Murphy will ensure he gets regular playing time while greatly benefitting Tranmere's attacking options.

Rovers faced a tough task in replacing James Norwood's firepower this summer following his switch to Ipswich, but Hepburn-Murphy is now the final piece in the puzzle after Stefan Payne and Morgan Ferrier also joined.

I do think Hepburn-Murphy would have been more than capable of a Championship loan spell as he looked bright in pre-season, but a move to League One means he will certainly play regular football.

It should be noted that he has not scored many goals in his senior career to date. This means Tranmere should be looking at him as being a player to add energy to the frontline, rather than scoring goals at the same rate as Norwood did.