Steve Bruce and Tony Pulis are set to battle it out for the loan signing of Everton winger Yannick Bolasie, who has been told by Marco Silva he can leave Goodison Park for the entire season, and it looks like the decision will now be left up to the player.
EFL clubs can still make loan signings up until August 31, and it had appeared that Tony Pulis has persuaded Silva to let Bolasie head on line to Championship Middlesbrough, but Sky Sports have reported that Bruce and Aston Villa have made a last-minute dash to try and lure Bolasie to Villa Park.
Bolasie has struggled to nail down a first-team position since his move to the Toffees from Crystal Palace in 2016, and injuries have plagued his time on Merseyside, and he has only made 32 appearances, so Silva has decided that the 29-year-old is likely to get a lot more football if he drops down to the Championship, and it would appear the two heavyweight clubs in the second tier are looking to secure his signature for the season.
Having already travelled to Middlesbrough's training ground, Bolasie has now reportedly made his way to the Midlands to speak to Bruce, and it's now likely that the player in question will get to choose where he'd like to play this season, as Silva has certainly made it clear to the tricky winger that he is surplus to requirements.
Both Middlesbrough and Aston Villa will be pushing for promotion to the Premier League, and adding Bolasie to their squad will certainly provide them with some quality out on the flanks.