Aston Villa midfielder Carlos Sanchez is edging closer to making his loan move at Serie A outfit Fiorentina permanent after reports suggested a fee in the region of £2.4 million has been agreed.

The Colombian international struggled to settle during his time at Villa Park and despite featuring regularly over a two year spell, was deemed surplus to requirements at the start of this campaign by then-manager Roberto Di Matteo.

But it seems Steve Bruce isn't the biggest fan either, with the former Valenciennes man set to make his transfer to the Italian giants permanent this summer.

But in a hastily dealt-with move, could this be a decision that Villa could live to regret?

Well, in short, yes it could be.

Like Liverpool star James Milner, Sanchez has been transformed into a full-back at Fiorentina and has looked surprisingly comfortable playing there for the majority of the campaign. The Colombian has also been played all across the midfielder and the usefulness of his versatility has been welcomed with open arms in Italy.

Unlike his time at Villa where he played in one position and one position only, the opportunity to move around the park has served Sanchez well and we're seeing arguably the best football he's played since he began his career.

With Villa's promotion hopes looking seriously unlikely this campaign, could they have done with a man like Sanchez to give them some real steel in the middle of the park? Granted, he wasn't a star performer during his first couple of years at the club but as managers change, players do every now and then too.

It could be a decision Villa are left to rue next season.