Aston Villa are a club firmly on the up under Unai Emery, and NSWE have backed the Spaniard in the transfer market. But who is Villa’s record signing?
Football FanCast has taken a look at Aston Villa’s most expensive signings in their history, with a detailed look at the top 10.
1
Moussa Diaby
£51.9m
Bayer Leverkusen
2023
2
Amadou Onana
£50m
Everton
2024
3
Ian Maatsen
£37.5m
Chelsea
2024
4
Emiliano Buendia
£33m
Norwich City
2021
5
Pau Torres
£31.5m
Villarreal
2023
=6
Ollie Watkins
£30m
Brentford
2020
=6
Leon Bailey
£30m
Bayer Leverkusen
2021
8
Diego Carlos
£26.8m
Sevilla
2022
9
Evann Guessand
£26m
Nice
2025
=10
Lucas Digne
£25m
Everton
2022
=10
Danny Ings
£25m
Southampton
2021
12
Wesley Moraes
£22m
Club Brugge
2019
13
Donyell Malen
£21m
Borussia Dortmund
2025
14
Tyrone Mings
£20m
Bournemouth
2019
15
Darren Bent
£18m
Sunderland
2011
=16
Philippe Coutinho
£17m
Barcelona
2022
=16
Bertrand Traore
£17m
Lyon
2020
=16
Emiliano Martinez
£17m
Arsenal
2020
=19
Douglas Luiz
£15m
Manchester City
2019
=19
Matt Targett
£15m
Southampton
2019
Here's a detailed look at Aston Villa's 10 most expensive signings: 10 Lucas Digne £25m from Everton
Left-back Lucas Digne moved to Villa Park from Everton in January 2022 under Steven Gerrard, and the Frenchman has gone on to become a regular under Emery.
Despite Emery bringing in Alex Moreno, Digne mainly remained first-choice during the manager’s first full season in charge.
9 Evann Guessand £26m from Nice
Evann Guessand was Villa’s only real marquee signing in the summer of 2025, with the forward costing around £26m from French side Nice.
An Ivory Coast international, Guessand was a man in-demand and can play anywhere across the front line.
8 Diego Carlos £26.8m from Sevilla
Defender Diego Carlos had his injury troubles after signing for Aston Villa.
The Brazilian joined Villa in 2022 and was named vice-captain under Gerrard, before rupturing his Achilles tendon on his home debut. He was sold to Fenerbahce on a permanent deal in 2025.
7 Leon Bailey £30m from Bayer Leverkusen
Winger Leon Bailey arrived from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen in 2021, but the Jamaican is another who has had his battles in the treatment room.
Bailey had his best season for Villa in 2023/24, scoring 10 goals and providing nine assists in 35 Premier League games but was sent on loan to Roma in 2025.
6 Ollie Watkins £30m from Brentford
Arguably one of Villa’s best-value signings in the top 10 is striker Ollie Watkins, who arrived at Villa Park from Brentford with no previous Premier League experience.
The forward has starred under numerous different managers, scoring more than 10 Premier League goals in each of his five seasons.
5 Pau Torres £31.5m from Villarreal
Centre-back Pau Torres was one of Emery’s top targets in the summer of 2023 after previously working with his compatriot at Villarreal.
NSWE managed to bring Torres to the Midlands, and it is a decision that has paid off so far, with the Spaniard under contract until 2028.
4 Emiliano Buendia £33m from Norwich
Aston Villa won the race to sign Emiliano Buendia from Norwich City in 2021 after the Argentinian’s starring years at Carrow Road, pipping the likes of Arsenal to a deal.
Unfortunately for Buendia, he missed the entirety of the 2023/24 season through injury, but he is under contract until 2026.
3 Ian Maatsen £37.5m from Chelsea
After he starred out on loan with Borussia Dortmund, Aston Villa made the permanent move to sign left-back Ian Maatsen from Chelsea.
Costing around £37.5m, Maatsen signed a six-year deal at the time and is under contract until 2030.
2 Amadou Onana £50m from Everton
Central midfielder Amadou Onana also arrived at Villa Park in 2024 ahead of their Champions League campaign, costing £50m from Everton.
The Belgian was a shining light with the Toffees and is under contract with Villa until 2029.
1 Moussa Diaby £51.9m from Bayer Leverkusen
Top of the charts and Villa’s record signing is Moussa Diaby, who like Bailey, arrived from Bayer Leverkusen.
The winger quickly became a key player under Emery and helped the club to a top-four finish in 2023/24. However, Diaby then made the move to Saudi Arabia with Al-Ittihad, who paid around £50m for the Frenchman.