Aston Villa have completed the signing of Brazil midfielder Joao Gomes from Wolves for £38m, comprising an initial £34m plus £4m in add-ons. The move follows the serious knee injury sustained by Villa's Amadou Onana on World Cup duty with Belgium, which left the club short in midfield, particularly after also selling Youri Tielemans to Manchester United and agreeing to sell Morgan Rogers to Chelsea. Gomes, 25, had also attracted interest from Atletico Madrid but travelled from Wolves' Portugal training camp for a medical to finalise the switch to Villa Park.

Gomes made 41 appearances for Wolves last season and was named the club's Player of the Year despite the team finishing bottom of the Premier League; he joined from Flamengo in 2023 and has scored seven goals in 130 games for Wolves. He ranked among the league's most combative players last term, making the third-most tackles (107) and the fourth-highest number of ball recoveries. The deal comes shortly after Villa's club-record £50m-plus capture of Freiburg's Johan Manzambi, as manager Unai Emery rebuilds his midfield following the Europa League triumph last season while managing Premier League and UEFA financial regulations.