Joao Gomes Joins Aston Villa for £38m in Ambitious Move

Joao Gomes is set to swap a relegated Wolves side for a resurgent Aston Villa in a £38m move that underlines the Midlands club’s growing ambition.

The Brazil international has left Wolves’ pre-season camp in Portugal and is due to undergo a medical on Thursday, with Villa agreeing an initial £34m fee plus a further £4m in add-ons. It is a decisive move from a club that has spent the summer reshaping the heart of Unai Emery’s midfield.

Villa have needed this. Youri Tielemans has gone to Manchester United in a £35m deal, ripping out one of Emery’s technical pillars. Amadou Onana, signed to add power and presence, has been ruled out until next year after suffering a serious knee injury with Belgium at the World Cup. Two key profiles gone before a ball is kicked. The gap in the middle of the pitch has grown by the week.

Gomes offers something different: bite, energy, and a relentless engine. He made 41 appearances for Wolves last season in a campaign that ended with them bottom of the Premier League, but his own stock held firm. Since arriving from Flamengo in 2023, he has played 130 times for the club and scored seven goals, quickly becoming one of the few reliable constants in a struggling side.

That consistency has not gone unnoticed. Atletico Madrid tracked him and were keen, yet never pushed a deal over the line. Villa did. When the chance came, they moved with a clarity that Atletico lacked.

And this is only part of the rebuild. Villa are also close to completing the signing of Switzerland international Johan Manzambi from Freiburg for a club-record fee of more than £50m. If that transfer lands as expected, Emery will have two major midfield additions arriving in the same window, each at a different stage of their career, each asked to carry a significant share of responsibility.

For Wolves, the sale of Gomes is another painful reminder of their slide. A player signed from Flamengo with the promise of being a long-term cornerstone now departs after just over a year and a half, leaving a hole that will be hard to fill for a side already staring at the scale of the rebuild ahead.

For Villa, it is the opposite picture. They are not just replacing bodies; they are upgrading profiles, paying big money for players who can handle the ball, the press, and the pressure of a club aiming to stay among the Premier League’s elite.

Gomes arrives into that expectation. From a relegated midfield to one built for Champions League nights, the step up is sharp. How quickly he adjusts will say plenty about where Villa’s season is heading.