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Aston Villa poised to miss out on Joe Bryan after Fulham swoop late

Villa appear to have missed out on Bristol City’s Joe Bryan after Fulham swooped in to steal the full-back at the 11th hour.

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Bryan looked almost certain to move to the Midlands after a fee of around £5million had been agreed with the Robins, even undergoing a medical at Villa’s Bodymoor Heath training ground.

But Villa then found themselves gazumped when Fulham, who defeated Steve Bruce’s team at Wembley to win promotion in May’s Championship play-off final, also agreed a fee with Bristol City late on Wednesday.

Bryan has instead travelled to London and was undergoing a medical with the Premier League outfit on Thursday morning, ahead of a likely deal.

Villa are now likely to turn to the loan market, which remains open until the end of the month, in order to address their needs at left-back.

Neil Taylor remains the club’s only recognised player in that position, with Alan Hutton deputising for most of last season.