Aston Villa Verdict

Sevilla have begun negotiations to sign Leon Bailey on loan before Tuesday's deadline, Sacha Tavolieri reported on August 30th, with Saudi side Al Diriyah also interested. Any loan would come with a contract extension attached, taking Bailey beyond his current 2027 expiry, so Villa avoid losing him for nothing next summer; Fabrizio Romano had named Sevilla among three clubs, alongside Hull City and Al Diriyah, asking Villa for conditions to sign the winger. Villa's need to move him on has sharpened now Ibrahim Mbaye's arrival leaves no space in the wide areas Bailey occupies, and no agreement between the clubs is yet in place.

Ollie Watkins has completed his move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal from Aston Villa for £51m on a three-year deal, the club and BBC Sport confirmed on August 30th. Villa's record Premier League scorer with 91 goals in six years, Watkins made himself unavailable for the August 23rd Brighton defeat and apologised to Unai Emery, who said he had "small tears" saying goodbye to a player he called "fantastic." Watkins joins Crysencio Summerville at Al-Hilal; Nicolas Jackson, signed from Chelsea on August 28th, replaces him at Villa Park.

Aston Villa and Southampton have agreed a £30m package including add-ons for centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis, with his medical now scheduled, Florian Plettenberg reported for Sky Sport Germany on August 30th. David Ornstein and Jacob Tanswell reported the deal structure is in place with work ongoing to conclude it, and Fabrizio Romano said personal terms and a long-term contract are agreed. Villa had gone back in for the 24-year-old after their pursuit of Joel Ordóñez collapsed, with an opening £18m bid rejected on August 20th and an improved £24m bid rejected on August 23rd.

Triston Rowe travelled to Belgium on August 30th to finalise a season-long loan to Royal Charleroi Sporting Club, Jacob Tanswell reported for The Athletic, with a medical to follow if things go as planned. The 19-year-old right-back, who spent last season on loan at Ligue 2 side Annecy, had drawn interest from Stoke City and Brest earlier in the window before Charleroi emerged as his destination.

Aston Villa's interest in Jean-Clair Todibo is over after the West Ham centre-back agreed to join RC Lens on loan instead, French journalist Fabrice Hawkins reported for RMC Sport on August 30th, with Todibo already undergoing his medical in France. Villa had opened talks with West Ham on August 27th after their pursuit of Joel Ordóñez collapsed, but never advanced to a fee or structure; Marseille also held a verbal agreement with the Frenchman but could not proceed because they had not yet sold enough players to fund it. Taylor Harwood-Bellis remains Villa's lead centre-back target, with the club and Southampton around £4m apart on valuation.

Aston Villa confirmed on August 30th that Emiliano Martínez has completed a permanent transfer to Chelsea for £7.5m, BirminghamLive reporting the same fee, ending a six-year Villa Park stay that began with his 2020 arrival from Arsenal. Martínez made 255 appearances across all competitions, won the UEFA Europa League with Villa in May, and established himself as Argentina's undisputed number one during his time at the club, lifting the 2022 World Cup and two Copa América titles. Villa's own statement said he "leaves Aston Villa with the very best wishes of everyone at the football club." Zion Suzuki, signed from Parma on August 19th, is now Unai Emery's first-choice goalkeeper, with Marco Bizot as back-up.

Ibrahim Mbaye completed his Aston Villa medical on August 29th, Read Aston Villa's James Chettle reported, with the 18-year-old winger's €55m move from Paris Saint-Germain now down to signing his contract and a formal club announcement. Fabrizio Romano had reported earlier the same day that the deal completes Sunday August 30th, with travel authorisation confirmed; Le Parisien's Benjamin Quarez said Mbaye arrived in Birmingham on Saturday having given Villa the green light. He is expected to sign a five-year contract with a Villa option for a further season, and could debut against Hull City next weekend.

Fabrizio Romano reported on August 29th that Leon Bailey is expected to leave Aston Villa before Tuesday's deadline, with negotiations ongoing after several clubs -- Al Diriyah, Hull City, and Sevilla among them -- asked Villa for conditions to sign the winger. It is the first reporting to name Al Diriyah or Sevilla, and comes a day after Unai Emery said a second attempted Hull move had fallen through. Bailey has a year left on his contract, and wages of around £120,000 a week have been the obstacle in every conversation about him this summer.

Villa's League Phase schedule is out. They open away at Club Brugge on September 8th, then host Fenerbahçe and Viking in October before a first blockbuster trip, to Barcelona, on November 3rd. Galatasaray away on November 24th follows, then Paris Saint-Germain visit Villa Park on December 8th and Borussia Dortmund on January 19th, with the campaign closing away at Slavia Prague on January 27th.

Unai Emery said on August 28th that Aston Villa are still hoping Leon Bailey leaves before Tuesday's transfer deadline, after a proposed move to Hull City fell through for a second time having appeared revived. "We were expecting him to leave," Emery said. "When we left for Asia, he was close to leaving, but he is still with us now. Hopefully he can get a good opportunity to leave and join another club and continue his career, and this is our objective." Ajax remain among the clubs credited with earlier interest in Bailey, though no move has advanced. The winger has been frozen out of Emery's first-team plans this summer, with wages of around £120,000 a week the recurring obstacle to any exit.