Aston Villa completed one of the most dramatic transfer windows in their history this summer, committing more than £290million in reported transfer fees while simultaneously cashing in on several of Unai Emery’s biggest players.
Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Martinez all left Villa Park during an extraordinary rebuild.
They were replaced by a new core including Nicolas Jackson, Johan Manzambi, Ibrahim Mbaye and Zion Suzuki.
But what was the final Aston Villa net spend for 2026?
Using the headline transfer values listed by Sky Sports in its complete Premier League transfer tracker, Villa committed approximately £290.8m on seven signings with reported fees.
Meanwhile, nine departures with publicly reported values generated approximately £314.6m.
That leaves Villa with a headline transfer balance of around £23.8m in their favour, before undisclosed fees, loan costs and potential accounting differences are considered.
Aston Villa summer 2026 transfer spending
Villa’s most expensive deal was the £65m package agreed with Chelsea for Nicolas Jackson.
The striker arrived to replace Watkins after Villa sanctioned the England international’s move to Al-Hilal.
Jackson was followed closely by Johan Manzambi.
Villa paid up to £59.5m for the Switzerland international after beating Newcastle United to his signature, with our report on Manzambi’s club-record agreement detailing how aggressively Emery’s side moved for the midfielder.
Deadline Day then produced another enormous outlay.
Villa completed approximately £77m worth of business by adding Ibrahim Mbaye and Taylor Harwood-Bellis, as covered in our breakdown of Aston Villa’s Deadline Day double.
The reported headline fees are:
| Player | From | Reported fee |
|---|---|---|
| Nicolas Jackson | Chelsea | £65m |
| Johan Manzambi | Freiburg | £59.5m |
| Ibrahim Mbaye | PSG | £47m |
| João Gomes | Wolves | £38m |
| Taylor Harwood-Bellis | Southampton | £30m |
| Zion Suzuki | Parma | £29.9m |
| Matteo Ruggeri | Atletico Madrid | £21.4m |
| Leon Goretzka | Bayern Munich | Free |
| Alejandro Garnacho | Chelsea | Loan |
| Aaron Wan-Bissaka | West Ham | Loan |
| Modou Kéba Cissé | LASK | Undisclosed |
Known headline spend: approximately £290.8m
The figure does not include any undisclosed fee for Kéba Cissé or potential loan payments attached to Garnacho and Wan-Bissaka.
The Premier League described Villa’s window as “revolution not evolution”, an accurate description of how extensively Emery’s team has changed.
Aston Villa generated more than £300m through sales
The spending only tells half the story.
Villa funded their rebuild by moving on some of their most valuable assets.
Rogers produced the largest return, joining Chelsea in a £117m deal after developing into one of the Premier League’s leading attacking players at Villa Park.
Konsa followed with a reported £55m move to Arsenal.
Watkins then left for Al-Hilal for around £50m, while Tielemans joined Manchester United for approximately £35m.
Martinez’s £7.5m transfer to Chelsea completed another significant change to the spine of Emery’s Europa League-winning side.
The major reported sales were:
| Player | Destination | Reported fee |
|---|---|---|
| Morgan Rogers | Chelsea | £117m |
| Ezri Konsa | Arsenal | £55m |
| Ollie Watkins | Al-Hilal | £50m |
| Youri Tielemans | Manchester United | £35m |
| Donyell Malen | Roma | £21.6m |
| Lewis Dobbin | Southampton | £10m |
| Enzo Barrenechea | Benfica | £10m |
| Lucas Digne | PSG | £8.5m |
| Emiliano Martinez | Chelsea | £7.5m |
Known headline sales: approximately £314.6m
That creates a difference of approximately £23.8m in Villa’s favour when comparing the reported package values.
Villa therefore managed to overhaul almost every department of Emery’s squad without producing the enormous negative net spend that their headline incoming expenditure might suggest.
Aston Villa rebuilt their entire spine
The scale of the change is perhaps more important than the final transfer balance.
Villa replaced their goalkeeper, a starting centre-back, two influential midfielders, their leading creative attacker and their first-choice striker during a single window.
We explored that transformation in greater detail when looking at how Aston Villa rebuilt their spine during an extraordinary summer.
The final Deadline Day additions then allowed us to map out Villa’s completely new-look XI for 2026/27.
There is considerable risk attached to replacing so many established players at once.
Villa’s difficult start to the Premier League season has already demonstrated the challenge of integrating the new group.
However, the financial picture is more nuanced than a £290m spending figure suggests.
Villa sold exceptionally well before reinvesting heavily in younger players.
Our regularly updated Aston Villa transfer tracker contains the complete summer business.
For Emery, the transfer market work is finished.
The next task is turning one of the Premier League’s most dramatic rebuilds into a successful team.
