Aston Villa have announced they have signed Bournemouth defender Tyrone Mings on loan for the rest of the season.
Injuries to key defenders have left Dean Smith short of options and James Chester has been playing through the pain barrier for some time.
Mings was made available for transfer by Bournemouth following Chris Mepham’s £12m arrival from Brentford last week.
Villa have inserted a clause in Mings’ loan deal that will enable them to have first right of refusal of the 25-year-old in the summer and match any offer Bournemouth receive.
Mings was highly rated when Bournemouth signed him from Ipswich in 2015 for a then-club-record £8m deal but a serious knee injury has stunted his development since then.
The versatile Bournemouth defender has only made 10 Premier League starts in three-and-a-half years with the club and will now hope for regular playing time at Villa.
