Aston Villa transfer news: 'Talks held' to sign defender with 233 Premier League appearances

By Darren Plant | 12 Aug 2026 14:56

Aston Villa 'hold talks' to sign defender with 233 Premier League appearances

Aston Villa have reportedly held talks over a potential deal for West Ham United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Unai Emery and his squad are currently preparing for Wednesday's UEFA Super Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain.

However, the West Midlands outfit are likely to remain active in the summer transfer market until the closing hours as they bid to ensure that they comply with the relevant financial regulations.

The exit of Andres Garcia and speculation continuing to link Ezri Konsa with a departure from Villa Park means that Emery must give consideration to reinforcements at right-back,

According to The Athletic, that has led to Wan-Bissaka emerging on Villa's radar.

Aston Villa register Wan-Bissaka interest

The report alleges that "exploratory talks" have been held with West Ham to determine whether successfully negotiating a deal is plausible.

Wan-Bissaka, who represented DR Congo at the World Cup, is said to be among a number of options for Villa at right-back.

At this point in time, it remains unclear whether Villa will be prepared to meet West Ham's asking price for the 28-year-old, which is allegedly £25m.

Nevertheless, there is seemingly a desire to add the player, who has 233 Premier League appearances to his name, to Emery's squad.

There are still five years remaining on Wan-Bissaka's contract at the London Stadium.

Is it worth Aston Villa paying £25m for Wan-Bissaka?

In the near future, Villa need to seriously consider lowering the average age of their defence, with all of their senior centre-backs at least 28 years old.

That said, Villa also need players at full-back who are defensively-stronger than Matty Cash and Ian Maatsen.

While Wan-Bissaka has his limitations going forward, he is better-equipped to improve the backline than Cash.

He also has four goals and 21 assists during his Premier League career. By comparison, Cash has 10 goals and 12 assists from 183 games, highlighting that their attacking contributions in England's top flight is more evenly-matched than many people would think.