16 Jul 2026 10:23 BST |
3 min read
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Aston Villa have moved quickly to secure Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes as the replacement for Youri Tielemans.
Unai Emery’s side have agreed a fee of around £35 million for the 25-year-old, beating Atletico Madrid to the signature of the Brazilian.
An unexpected void was left in the middle of the park for Villa when Manchester United triggered Tielemans’ release fee of £35m (€41m), but the Birmingham club have moved quickly to plug that gap.
Joao Gomes still needs to pass a medical, but the Birmingham Mail reports that the deal is all but done.
He is in line to become Villa’s second signing of the season after the arrival of Modou Keba Cissa in a £4.5m (€5.5m) deal from LASK, although Freiburg midfielder Johan Manzambi is also close to moving to the club.
Joao Gomes to Aston Villa confirmed by Romano
Fabrizio Romano also confirmed the Joao Gomes deal, giving the move his stamp of confirmation.
He said: “Joao Gomes to Aston Villa, here we go! Verbal agreement in place at €40m fee plus €5m add-ons.
“Wolves have accepted the £38m package and have authorised the medical for Joao Gomes.
“He has left training to travel and complete the move.”
Villa’s transfer plans coming together
Aston Villa still have the issue of Morgan Rogers lingering over them. FootballTransfers exclusively revealed that personal terms were close to being agreed between the England star and Arsenal, and subsequent reports indicate that a contract is now done.
Should the 23-year-old depart, he will become Villa’s record sale. While Manzambi may be seen as a replacement for him, the Switzerland international is also capable of operating in a deeper role.
Villa, though, are still likely to hunt for another central midfielder due to a serious knee injury sustained by Amadou Onana. This means they are likely on the hunt for a physical ball winner in a similar mould.
Joao Gomes is simply the latest piece of the jigsaw for the Villans and certainly does not mark an end to their interest in what promises to be a busy transfer window as they prepare for a season of Champions League football.
