Aston Villa are close to signing Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Joao Gomes in a £38m deal, as the club moves to strengthen its midfield options. The Brazil international has left Wolves' pre-season training camp in Portugal and is due to undergo a medical, with Atletico Madrid having previously shown interest but failing to complete a deal.

The transfer is worth an initial £34m plus a further £4m in add-ons. Villa need fresh midfield cover after selling Youri Tielemans to Manchester United for £35m and losing Amadou Onana to a serious knee injury sustained with Belgium at the World Cup, which will keep him out until next year. The club are also nearing a club-record signing of Switzerland international Johan Manzambi from Freiburg for more than £50m. Gomes, 25, joined Wolves from Flamengo in 2023 and made 130 appearances, scoring seven goals, including 41 outings last season as Wolves finished bottom of the Premier League.