Aston Villa’s 10 most expensive transfers of all time

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Carlo Garganese | Editor

Aston Villa have re-established themselves as European regulars since the appointment of Unai Emery and the threat of Championship football now seems like a distant memory.

A number of big-money signings have been finalised in order to achieve this status, although the Birmingham-based outfit are far from the biggest spenders in the English top flight.

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

10. Evann Guessand - €30m (from Nice, 2025)

After scoring 12 goals in 33 games during the 2024-25 Ligue 1 season, Evann Guessand earned a €30m move to Aston Villa amid their pursuit of a new versatile forward.

The Frenchman was deployed in a variety of positions at Nice, and he soon found a home as a right winger upon his arrival at Villa.

However, after failing to score a single goal in 13 Premier League appearances, he was sent on loan to Crystal Palace in January 2026.

9. 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, but he soon re-established himself as the club's first-choice left-back.

8. 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.

Things never quite worked out for Diego Carlos and he was sold to Fenerbahce in January 2025 for €10m.

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

Having been linked 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.

He was sent on loan to AS Roma in August 2025, before returning to Villa Park in January 2026 after the deal was cut short.

6. 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 quickly became a starter at Villa Park, forming an eye-catching defensive partnership with Ezri Konsa.

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

Signed in 2020 by his former Brentford manager 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 has since gone from strength and is now an England regular and one of the best strikers in the Premier League.

4. 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 Jack 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, yet justifying that price tag was a different beast altogether.

He suffered an ACL injury in 2023, which hampered the progress he had made under Emery. He was loaned out to Bayer Leverkusen in January 2025, before returning to play a key role at Villa Park.

3. Ian Maatsen - €44.5m (from Chelsea, 2024)

The 2024 summer transfer window was marked by some inflated moves due to the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), forcing clubs to get creative in order to comply with these regulations.

Omari Kellyman left Villa to sign for Chelsea for €22.5m in one of these transfers, with Maatsen travelling back in the other direction for €44.5m.

The Dutchman had just helped Dortmund to the Champions League final during a six-month loan, yet the fee was big for a relatively untested left-back.

2. 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. France 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 - hinted that it could be a bargain deal.

Diaby, though, spent just one season at Villa, scoring 10 and creating nine in 54 appearances before he was eventually lured to Saudi Arabia via Al-Ittihad, who spent €60m on him.

1. Amadou Onana - €59.4m (from Everton, 2024)

Amadou Onana had been linked to Manchester United following a successful spell at Everton, but he eventually moved to Villa in a club-record deal worth close to €60m.

The midfielder immediately set about proving his worth by scoring two goals in his first three Premier League matches, although this output unsurprisingly dried up.

However, Onana has still been an excellent signing and has arguably justified his price tag.

The 10 most expensive Aston Villa signings of all time

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