Aston Villa Close to Signing Joao Gomes for £38m

Aston Villa are closing in on the £38m signing of Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes as Unai Emery rebuilds the heart of his team.

The Brazil international has left Wolves’ pre-season camp in Portugal and is due to undergo a medical on Thursday, with only the final formalities standing between him and a move to Villa Park.

Villa have agreed an initial £34m fee, with a further £4m in performance-related add-ons. It is a statement outlay on a player whose reputation has grown rapidly since arriving in England.

Villa rip up their midfield plan – and start again

This is not a luxury signing. It is a necessity.

Youri Tielemans has been sold to Manchester United for £35m, stripping Villa of one of their most experienced midfielders. Amadou Onana, signed to bring power and presence, is now sidelined until next year after a serious knee injury sustained with Belgium at the World Cup. Two major pillars of Emery’s engine room have vanished in quick succession.

Villa have responded aggressively.

Gomes is one piece of that response. The club are also close to completing a club-record deal worth more than £50m for Switzerland international Johan Manzambi from Freiburg, underlining just how heavily they are investing in the centre of the pitch.

If both arrive as expected, Emery will have a new-look midfield built at significant cost, but with age, energy and resale value on his side.

From Wolves survivor to Villa project

Gomes leaves Wolves after a bruising season in which he was one of the few bright spots in a side that finished bottom of the Premier League.

He made 41 appearances in all competitions last term, fighting through a relegation battle that tested Wolves’ squad to its limits. Across his time at Molineux, the 23-year-old played 130 times and scored seven goals after joining from Flamengo in 2023.

Those numbers tell only part of the story. His appeal lies in his intensity. He presses, he bites into tackles, he covers ground. For a Villa side that will again look to play on the front foot, that profile fits neatly.

Atletico Madrid had pushed to sign him, drawn by that same blend of aggression and discipline, but never managed to close a deal. Villa have moved quicker, and paid the price Wolves demanded.

A new core for Emery

Gomes will walk into a dressing room that has changed shape in a matter of weeks. Tielemans gone. Onana injured. Manzambi likely to follow through the door.

The Brazilian will not arrive as the finished article, but as a player hardened by a relegation fight and trusted to grow inside a team with European ambitions.

Villa’s owners have made their intentions clear in the market. The question now is simple: with a rebuilt midfield and major money on the table, can this new core carry them to the next level?