Aston Villa’s summer keeps gathering pace, and Fabrizio Romano has now confirmed a piece of transfer news that settles one of the window’s noisiest debates.
Villa have been among the busiest clubs in the Premier League since the window opened. An agreement is already in place for Freiburg’s Johan Manzambi, a deal for AC Milan full-back Pervis Estupinan is underway, and the club continue to reshape a squad that supporters expect to challenge on multiple fronts next season.
There has been outgoing noise too. Fans have spent the week digesting a worrying Morgan Rogers update as Arsenal accelerate their pursuit, while the club were also handed a major Ibrahim Mbaye opening in the same week.
Amid all of that, one midfield story had been swirling for weeks — with Manchester United and Liverpool both repeatedly mentioned. Romano has now ended the debate in the clearest terms possible.
The midfielder at the centre of it all
The player is Joao Gomes — and according to Fabrizio Romano, the deal is done. “Today, Aston Villa also completed the signing of Joao Gomes. The deal is done for €40 million plus €5 million in add-ons. The player has already travelled for his medical and the contract signing,” Romano said on his YouTube channel.
“Joao Gomes is now an Aston Villa player,” he added, before addressing the speculation head-on: “There were many rumours linking him with Manchester United, but the reality is that Man Utd were never interested in signing Joao Gomes.” Romano said the same of Liverpool, noting rumours “particularly coming from Brazil” were never matched by any pursuit, and that “from the beginning, Aston Villa were the club making the strongest move.”
Romano also confirmed Villa’s midfield rebuild may not stop there: “Villa are also maintaining active discussions over a deal for Joao Palhinha. The club remain ambitious in the market and continue to work on strengthening multiple positions before the window closes.”
Where does Joao Gomes fit in this Villa midfield?
The Brazilian brings exactly the profile Villa’s engine room has lacked at times: relentless ball-winning, quick vertical passing and the stamina to press for 90 minutes. At around £39m all-in, the fee sits comfortably below the numbers being discussed for comparable Premier League-proven midfielders this summer, which is precisely why United and Liverpool links felt plausible to many supporters.
If the Palhinha talks Romano describes also land, Villa would suddenly boast one of the most physical midfield rotations in the division — a clear statement about where this squad is heading. The verdict: with Rogers’ future uncertain, landing a hungry, mobile 25-year-old destroyer before the market inflates further looks like sharp, proactive business. On this one, Villa moved first and moved decisively — and Romano’s words confirm nobody else was ever really at the table.
