Aston Villa's swoop for West Ham United prospect Oscar Borg has been over three years in the making, Tribalfootball.com can reveal.

It was confirmed this week that Borg had signed terms with Villa.

Tribalfootball.com has been informed Borg was followed by Villa's youth chiefs since 2012 and the presence of Tony McAndrew and Kevin McDonald in the U18 and U21 setups had a big influence on the left-sided wing-back's decision to choose Bodymoor as his next destination.

Borg, contrary to some reports, was never released by the Hammers and was anticipating signing pro terms with the Irons. Indeed, it's understood West Ham insisted with Villa on an appearance-based deal, which also included a sell-on clause.

For Borg, the chance to move to Villa, which still retains an excellent reputation at youth level, was too much to resist.

With West Ham expected to spend big this summer, the exciting attacking talent sees his move to Villa as the best chance of launching his first team career. Despite Villa's dismal position, the likes of Andre Green and Jordan Lyden have been handed a senior chance by manager Remi Garde.

Interestingly, Borg chose to stick with West Ham when an offer was made by Manchester United 18 months ago after a successful stint in the Milk Cup. Among that United squad were Marcus Rashford, Axel Tuanzebe, RoShaun Williams and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson.