Birmingham City midfielder Fran Villalba is close to joining Spanish second-tier side Sporting Gijon, according to El Comercio.
The 23-year-old first arrived at St Andrew's from Spanish side Valencia back in 2019 on a free transfer, putting pen to paper on a three-year contract after rarely getting first-team opportunities at the Estadio de Mestalla.
However, his move to Lee Bowyer's side hasn't been successful either and last made a competitive appearance for the Blues back in December 2019 in a 3-0 defeat to Hull City, before moving back to Spain temporarily to link up with Almeria for the rest of the 2019/20 campaign and then re-joining them on another loan spell last term.
Because of these 18 months away from Birmingham, he's only made 17 appearances for the Blues during his time at St Andrew's, recording one goal and no assists.
And despite a new manager in Bowyer arriving at the club in March, there doesn't seem to be any way back for the 23-year-old who looks set for the exit door.
As per the same El Comercio report, he will join Sporting Gijon as a replacement for Manu Garcia on an initial loan agreement although he will be available next summer for free on the expiration of his contract, bringing the curtain down on what looks to be a very underwhelming spell in England.
The Verdict:
Considering the fact he hasn't been a major part of Birmingham's pre-season, this would be the best deal for all parties if the Blues can get his wages off the book for another year.
Although they haven't received a fee for him, any revenue generated by his sale would be nominal after failing to make an impact as St Andrew's and with his contract coming to an end in less than 12 months.
Unless he has an exceptional season out in Spain, there's no way they should be offering him a new deal with plenty of offensive options already at Bowyer's disposal ahead of the new season.
The wing area looks particularly strong with the likes of Tahith Chong, Jordan Graham, Jeremie Bela and others ready to come in and challenge for a spot in the starting lineup, making the 23-year-old surplus to requirements at the club.