We look over Aston Villa’s top 10 most expensive transfers of all time from Wesley Moraes to Moussa Diaby.
Villa have never been afraid to splash the cash when they need to. However, over the years this has seen a wide variety of results.
At Villa Park, many on this list have been exactly what the club needed or may have even exceeded expectations. Yet, many have become forgettable only to be cast aside.
Nevertheless, recent big signings have helped catapult Villa up the table and they are not competing against the best teams in England for European football.
Multiple players on this list still play for the club and have been a big part in their return to Europe. You can see the list below.
10) Lucas Digne – £25 million
The first player on this list who is still in Villa’s first team, Lucas Digne joined Villa from Everton in January 2022. The full-back joined the club for £25 million from Everton and has been a highly important player in recent years.
Read more: Who is Lucas Digne? Everything you need to know about Villa’s Frenchman.
9) Danny Ings – £25 million
Aston Villa shocked the Premier League when they announced the signing of Danny Ings from Southampton in 2021. Ings had been one of the division’s most prolific scorers since his move to the south coast and netted 22 league goals in one campaign.
Villa managed to secure his services for £25 million. However, he struggled to find the net consistently. Ings left Villa Park one-and-a-half years later scoring just 14 goals.
8) Diego Carlos – £26 million
Diego Carlos joined Aston Villa for £26 million in the summer of 2022. The Brazilian had a rough start to life in England with the defender rupturing his Achilles Tendon in just his third game. Since his return, he has become one of the club’s most important players and could end up with a Europe Conference League trophy by the end of the season.
7) Ollie Watkins – £28 million
Villa’s current star man joined the club in 2020 for a then-club-record fee of £28 million. So far, he has more than made up for this price tag with the England international becoming a prolific goalscorer. In his last two campaigns, goals have come with ease. As a result, Villa Park looks set to host Champions League football next season.
Read more: Ollie Watkins’ interesting life outside of Villa Park
6) Leon Bailey – £30 million
Leon Bailey made his move to England in 2021 after a highly successful career in Germany. The winger was prized away from Bayer Leverkusen for £30 million. Despite a slow start to life in England, he has now become one of Unai Emery’s most important players.
5) Pau Torres – £31.5 million
Villa’s ever-reliable centre-back has been at the heart of their backline in his first season at the club. With the Birmingham side shooting up the table, Pau Torres has become vital to Villa.
Torres joined the club in the summer of 2023 for £31.5 million from Villarreal. While keeping fit has been a challenge in 2024, the Spaniard is clearly the key to their success.
4) Emiliano Buendia – £33 million
The Argentine joined Aston Villa after a highly successful campaign for Norwich where he helped them make an immediate return to the Premier League. Joining for an initial fee of £33 million, Buendia was until recently, Villa’s record signing.
Under Emery, he has had little playing time due to an injury which has seen him miss all of the 2023/24 season.
3) Ian Maatsen – £37.5 million
Villa reinforced their backline in the 2024 summer as they brought in Ian Maatsen from Chelsea. The full-back had an excellent 2023/24 campaign and reached the Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund while on loan.
As a result, Villa paid £37.5 million for Maatsen ahead of the 2024/25 season.
2) – Amadou Onana – £50 million
Villa added to their midfielder in their ranks in July 2024. Amadou Onana became the club’s biggest signing of the summer as he joined from Everton for around £50 million.
1) Moussa Diaby – £51.9 million
The man to take the crown for Villa’s record-signing by a long way is Moussa Diaby. The club broke their transfer record again in July 2023 when they purchased the Frenchman for £51.9 million from Bayer Leverkusen. While he may not have set the world alight in his first few months, the winger is now starting to show his true ability.
