Fabrizio Romano confirmed Johan Manzambi to Villa with a verbal agreement slightly in excess of €60m accepted by Freiburg, plus personal terms agreed with the player and his agency on a long-term deal. David Ornstein reported Villa hijacked the transfer. The 20-year-old Switzerland midfielder starred at the World Cup with three goals and two assists in four appearances.
Source: Fabrizio Romano / David OrnsteinVilla agreed a £9m plus add-ons sale of Lewis Dobbin to Southampton, with a medical booked. The 23-year-old never made a competitive first-team appearance after his £10m move from Everton in June 2024 and spent last season on loan at Preston.
Source: Read Aston VillaFabrizio Romano confirmed Youri Tielemans to Man United with United activating the €41m release clause in his Villa contract and a verbal agreement in place with the player. Medical booked for Tuesday. Villa had no desire to sell but were powerless once the clause was triggered.
Source: Fabrizio Romano (via utdreport) / TEAMtalkPSG reached agreement to re-sign Lucas Digne, paying his £10m release clause. He verbally agreed immediately and will sign a three-year deal as back-up to Nuno Mendes, with game time assured by Luis Enrique. Digne played for PSG from 2013-16.
Source: ESPNArsenal's pursuit of Morgan Rogers has reached contract discussions, but Villa's stance is unchanged: a British-record £130m opens the door. An opening bid of around €85m is reported to be imminent, well short of the ask. Rogers is under contract until 2031.
Source: TEAMtalk / Read Aston VillaSouth American reports that Emiliano Martínez could leave for as little as €6m were dismissed at Villa Park. Only first contacts between the clubs are reported; Villa rejected €6-7m valuations outright.
Source: Read Aston VillaBelgium confirmed Amadou Onana suffered an anterior cruciate ligament rupture in the Round of 16 win over the USA. He is expected back around April 2027 at the earliest. Villa may receive roughly £6.4-6.6m via FIFA's Club Protection Programme, and the injury has accelerated plans to sign another central midfielder.
Source: Sports Mole / Football TodayEnzo Barrenechea's transfer to Benfica went through on July 1st after conditions were met. Donyell Malen's Roma loan converted to a permanent €25m deal at the end of last season.
Source: Sports MoleVilla added Indonesia All Stars (August 1st, Jakarta) and BG Pathum United (August 4th, Thailand) ahead of the Audi Football Summit meeting with Bayern Munich in Hong Kong on August 7th. Domestic warm-ups: Walsall on July 21st and Real Sociedad at the Bescot on July 28th.
Source: avfc.co.uk| Player | Club | Likelihood | Stage | Source | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youri TielemansOUT | → Manchester United | 95% | Medical / final steps | Fabrizio Romano ('here we go')T1 · Gold standard | €41m release clause triggered; verbal agreement with player. Medical Tuesday July 14th. Villa powerless once the clause was activated. (seen July 13th) |
| Johan ManzambiIN | ← SC Freiburg | 82% | Fee/personal terms agreed | Fabrizio Romano ('here we go') / David OrnsteinT1 · Gold standard | Verbal agreement slightly over €60m accepted by Freiburg; personal terms agreed on a long-term deal. Ornstein reports Villa hijacked the move. 20-year-old Swiss midfielder, World Cup breakout. (seen July 13th) |
| Lucas DigneOUT | → Paris Saint-Germain | 82% | Fee/personal terms agreed | ESPN / Fabrizio RomanoT1 · Gold standard | £10m release clause paid; three-year deal verbally agreed. Returns to PSG as back-up to Nuno Mendes. (seen July 13th) |
| Lewis DobbinOUT | → Southampton | 69% | Medical / final steps | Read Aston VillaT3 · Hit-and-miss | £9m plus add-ons agreed; medical booked with the Championship club. (seen July 13th) |
| Morgan RogersOUT | → Arsenal | 37% | Talks / negotiations | TEAMtalkT3 · Hit-and-miss | Contract discussions reported; opening bid ~€85m imminent vs £130m Villa ask. Under contract to 2031 — Villa hold all leverage. (seen July 12th) |
| Douglas LuizIN | ← Juventus | 26% | Contact made / enquiry | Read Aston Villa / Alfredo PedullàT2 · Reliable beat/national | Villa declined the €25m option after his January-June loan, deeming it excessive, and want fresh talks at a reduced fee. He is back at Juventus, who may yet keep him — Pedullà reports no wider market. (seen July 10th) |
| Pervis EstupiñánIN | ← AC Milan | 26% | Contact made / enquiry | Sky Sports transfer centreT2 · Reliable beat/national | Villa asked Milan about conditions and cost for the left-back; no formal offer yet. Fell behind Bartesaghi at San Siro last season. (seen July 11th) |
| Emiliano MartínezOUT | → Juventus | 22% | Contact made / enquiry | Read Aston Villa (via Italian/South American press)T3 · Hit-and-miss | First contacts only; Villa rejected €6-7m valuations out of hand. (seen July 10th) |
| Serhou GuirassyIN | ← Borussia Dortmund | 13% | Linked / interest | BILDT2 · Reliable beat/national | BILD reports serious interest in the striker. Home-market source for a Bundesliga player. (seen July 11th) |
| Jarrod BowenIN | ← West Ham United | 11% | Linked / interest | TEAMtalkT3 · Hit-and-miss | Strong interest reported in the 29-year-old England winger, but agreement difficult until Villa make sales. (seen July 11th) |
| Lamine CamaraIN | ← AS Monaco | 11% | Linked / interest | FootballPlaceT3 · Hit-and-miss | One of three midfield targets monitored after Onana's ACL, alongside Pape Gueye (Villarreal) and Mandela Keita (Parma). (seen July 9th) |
Likelihood = deal-stage score × source-tier weight. Tiers: T1 gold standard (Romano, Ornstein, official) → T4 aggregators.
Emiliano Martínez, Marco Bizot, Joe Gauci, Oliwier Zych
Matty Cash, Victor Lindelöf, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Lucas Digne, Pau Torres, Ian Maatsen, Lamare Bogarde, Yerson Mosquera, Samuel Iling-Junior, Kosta Nedeljković
Ross Barkley, John McGinn, Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendía, Amadou Onana, Leon Bailey, Boubacar Kamara, Morgan Rogers
Ollie Watkins, Alysson, Tammy Abraham
Preseason projection updated July 13th, grounded in 2025-26 usage data: Emery used 4-2-3-1 in 97% of matches; McGinn (107 starts) played central, Buendía (54 apps, 11 goals) was the regular left forward, Rogers (10g 6a) the AM. Adjusted for the imminent Tielemans/Digne departures and the agreed Manzambi signing (included pending completion). Kamara's spot assumes preseason fitness; Rogers included while he remains a Villa player.
McGinn stays in the pivot where he actually played in 2025-26, with Manzambi — who featured right-side and centrally for Freiburg — on the right; the two could swap. Bailey (362 league minutes after his Roma loan recall) and January signing Alysson are the right-wing depth. Midfield cover remains thin (Barkley, Bogarde), so the Douglas Luiz and Camara/Gueye/Keita threads still matter. Maatsen inherits left-back from Digne; Estupiñán would compete there if signed. Abraham first striker option off the bench.
| Player | Status | Issue | Expected return |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amadou Onana | OUT | ACL rupture (World Cup, July 7th) | April 2027 (earliest) |
| Boubacar Kamara | DOUBTFUL | Knee injury (January 2026) | Targeting preseason return |
Our Monte Carlo season projection goes live once the 2026-27 Premier League season kicks off.
| Date | Opponent | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 21st | Walsall | Bescot Stadium | Friendly |
| July 28th | Real Sociedad | Bescot Stadium | Friendly |
| August 1st | Indonesia All Stars | Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta | Friendly |
| August 4th | BG Pathum United | Thailand | Friendly |
| August 7th | Bayern Munich | Hong Kong | Friendly |
| August 23rd | Brighton & Hove Albion | Away | Premier League |
| August 31st | Arsenal | Villa Park | Premier League |
| September 5th | Hull City | Away | Premier League |