Aston Villa’s 10 most expensive transfers of all time

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 9 Nov 2023 14:00 GMT
• 6 min read

Premier League side Aston Villa are one of English football’s most prestigious and historic clubs, having been founded in 1874.

Since then, the Birmingham-based club have won no less than seven top-flight titles and seven FA Cups, as well as a European Cup in 1982.

When it comes to transfer fees spent on players, Aston Villa have seen records tumble in recent years, since the introduction of the Premier League and the TV riches that have come with it.

READ MORE: Chelsea's 10 most expensive transfers of all time

As such, all of the club’s most expensive signings have come during its modern period.

Below, FootballTransfers have listed Aston Villa's 10 most expensive signings ever.

READ MORE: Man Utd’s 10 most expensive transfers of all time

10. Tyrone Mings - €22.3m (from Bournemouth, 2019)

Tyrone Mings emerged onto the scene at Ipswich Town and after four years of impressive performances at Bournemouth, Aston Villa signed the Englishman on loan in 2019.

After liking what they saw, Villa signed Mings permanently for €22.3 million in July 2019.

The defender replaced Jack Grealish as Villa's club captain upon his compatriot's move to Manchester City in 2021, and has earned several England caps during his time at Villa Park.

9. Wesley - €25m (from Club Brugge, 2019)

While a number of the players on this list went on to live up to their price tag for Villa, that unfortunately was not the case when it came to Wesley.

Signed in 2019 for no less than €25m after an impressive season in Belgium, which saw him score 17 goals and 10 assists, the Brazilian striker stumbled through his first season with just five Premier League goals in 21 games.

In his second season, he managed just three appearances for the club and was quickly sent back on loan to Belgium.

Following stints at Internacional in Brazil and Levante in Spain, Wesley departed Villa Park for Championship side Stoke in 2023.

8. Danny Ings - €29.4m (from Southampton, 2021)

Following the departure of Jack Grealish to Man City in the summer of 2021, Villa went on a spending spree to bolster their attacking options and that included the arrival of Southampton striker Danny Ings.

Following a spell on the south coast which saw the England striker bag 46 goals in 100 games for the Saints, Ings was hoping to carry on his impressive Premier League record at Villa Park.

However, he lasted just 18 months before being sold on to West Ham in January 2023.

7. Lucas Digne - €30m (from Everton, 2022)

In the 2022 January transfer window, Aston Villa took advantage of Lucas Digne's breakdown in relations with Everton to swoop and sign the French full-back for €30m.

Digne had fallen out with Everton boss Rafa Benitez, who was happy to let the player move on to pastures new despite him being one of the club's better performers over the previous couple of years.

The arrival of Alex Moreno in January 2023 hampered Digne's game time at Aston Villa, however.

6. Diego Carlos - €31m (from Sevilla, 2022)

Aston Villa brought one of La Liga's best defenders to Villa Park when they signed Sevilla's Diego Carlos in 2022, securing his services for €31m.

However, the Brazilian suffered a devastating Achilles injury in just his second game for the club, ruling him out for the entirety of his debut season.

5. Leon Bailey - €32m (from Leverkusen, 2021)

Having been linked with a move to the Premier League for a number of years, Leon Bailey finally made his move from Germany to England in the summer of 2021. However, rather than arriving at a Manchester United or a Liverpool, he instead signed for Villa.

The Jamaican winger was a tremendous talent in the Bundesliga for a number of years, but he has been unable to build on that form in the Premier League.

4. Pau Torres - €33m (from Villarreal, 2023)

Spanish coach Unai Emery decided to raid his former club Villarreal by bringing one of his favourite players to Villa Park in the summer of 2023.

Pau Torres joined the Villains for €33m after helping Villarreal win the 2021 Europa League. His passing was seen as a major plus by Emery, who wanted to add that attribute to his backline at Aston Villa.

Torres left Villarreal having made 173 appearances for the club.

3. Ollie Watkins - €34m (from Brentford, 2020)

Signed in 2020 by his former Brentford manager at Dean Smith, Ollie Watkins was undoubtedly a signing with a huge amount of risk due to the fact that he was Villa's club record signing at the time.

However, the English striker alleviated any fears Villa fans may have had about him being a dud when he bagged no less than 14 goals and five assists in his first Premier League season with the club.

He is now an England regular and is one of the best strikers in the English top flight.

2. Emiliano Buendia - €38.4m (from Norwich, 2021)

If Watkins was once considered a risky move then Emiliano Buendia was undoubtedly an even bigger one, when the Argentina winger was plucked from Norwich’s Championship-winning side and tasked with being the main replacement for Grealish.

After a remarkable record of 15 goals and 17 assists in a single Championship season, Buendia naturally struggled to replicate that form at his new club but he did eventually acclimatise to life at Villa Park well enough, though actually justifying that price tag is a different beast altogether.

He suffered an ACL injury in 2023, which hampered the progress he had made under Emery.

1. Moussa Diaby - €55m (from Bayer Leverkusen, 2023)

Villa spent big in the summer of 2023 and Pau Torres wasn't the only big-money arrival. French international Moussa Diaby, often linked with the likes of Arsenal and Newcastle, joined the Birmingham-based club after they won a bidding war with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr.

Diaby cost €55m, but his final two seasons at Bayer Leverkusen - in which he scored 31 goals and provided 25 assists - suggests it could prove to be a bargain in the future.

The 10 most expensive Aston Villa signings of all time

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