Aston Villa and Brighton are following highly rated Benin attacking midfielder Rodolfo Aloko, 18, from Croatian side NK Kustosija. (Mail, external)
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Unai Emery is keen to bring in Barcelona and forward Ferran Torres, with Aston Villa ready to pay £43m for the 25-year-old former Manchester City player. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column
The BBC's search to find a new football expert is under way, with 12 content creators competing in Last Pundit Standing to win a role as BBC Sport's next football content creator.
The first two episodes of the show - co-hosted by former Watford captain Troy Deeney and YouTuber and football presenter James Allcott - are available to watch on iPlayer, as well as BBC Sport's YouTube channel and TikTok account, with new episodes every week until 11 August.
The contestants, who were chosen from more than 400 applicants, will be whittled down through a series of tasks staged at iconic football locations as the creators are challenged by some of the biggest names in the game.
Watch the first two episodes of Last Pundit Standing now on BBC iPlayer
Image source, Getty ImagesAston Villa will face French club Olympique de Marseille and Spanish side Villarreal in pre-season friendlies.
Unai Emery's men travel to Ligue 1 outfit Marseille on Saturday 9 August, with kick-off at 18:00 BST.
They then face Villarreal at their home ground Estadio de la Ceramica on Sunday, 10 August at 20:00 BST.
Villa had already announced a friendly against other European opposition in Serie A giants Roma, set for Wednesday, 6 August at Walsall's Bescot Stadium.
Image source, Getty ImagesAston Villa attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho has signed for Vasco da Gama after being on loan at his hometown club last season.
Villa, then managed by Steven Gerrard, signed Coutinho permanently from Barcelona for £17m in 2022, six months after initially bringing him on loan.
The 33-year-old, who had one year left on his contract at Villa Park, scored six goals in 43 appearances for the West Midlands club - but spent the past two campaigns out on loan at A-Duhail in Qatar and Brazilian side Vasco respectively.
Coutinho, who has also played for Inter Milan and Liverpool, made an instant impact at Villa, scoring on his debut in a 2-2 draw with Manchester United and ending the 2021-22 season with five goals and three assists.
He had cost Barcelona £142m, a club record, in 2018 but struggled in a disappointing four-year stay at the Nou Camp, which was hampered by a serious knee injury.
Manchester United are stepping up their interest in Aston Villa and England striker Ollie Watkins, 29, and have held tentative talks with the Midlands club who want a fee of about £60m. (Mirror), external
Meanwhile, Sunderland have turned their attention to signing Chelsea's Serbian goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, 25, but face competition from Aston Villa and Bournemouth. (Times), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesAston Villa have signed striker Zepiqueno Redmond as a free agent upon the expiry of his contract at Feyenoord.
A youth product of Dutch amateur sides Alexandria '66 and CVV Zwervers, and second-tier team ADO Den Haag, Redmond joined the Feyenoord academy in 2019.
He signed his first professional contract in June 2022 and began training with the first team in November 2024 after a raft of injuries to the club's three first-choice strikers.
Redmond made his debut in the same month and scored his first senior goals with a double in a 2-1 win over MVV Maastricht in the Dutch Cup in December 2024.
The 19-year-old made the first of his two Champions League appearances when he started a 1–1 draw against AC Milan at the San Siro in the league phase in February, before coming on as a substitute against Inter Milan in the last-16, second-leg defeat.
At international level, Redmond has represented the Netherlands in various youth levels and was part of the squad that won the Uefa European Under-19 Championship in June, scoring twice against England in the group stages.
He made nine senior appearances for Feyenoord, scoring twice.
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins is on Manchester United's list of potential striker recruits if Rasmus Hojlund leaves Old Trafford this summer. (Athletic - subscription required), external
Villa are set to offload forward Louie Barry to Championship side Hull City. (Athletic - subscription required), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesAston Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen and defender Kortney Hause have been released following the expiry of their contracts.
Olsen, who joined Villa in 2022 and made 22 appearances for the club, has signed for Swedish side Malmo FF.
Hause leaves after six years having scored four goals in 55 appearances.
Marco Asensio, Marcus Rashford and Axel Disasi have also returned to their parent clubs following the conclusion of their loans.
The club said: "Everyone at Aston Villa would like to thank each of the players for their efforts and amazing commitment to the club and wish them all the very best for the future."
Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesCoventry are set to complete the signing of Aston Villa defender Kaine Kesler-Hayden after beating off competition from Stoke.
The full-back is due for a medical with the Sky Blues with a deal - worth slightly more than £3.5m - agreed.
Stoke also wanted the 22-year-old but the lure of playing for Frank Lampard, who guided Coventry to the Championship play-offs last season, was key for Kesler-Hayden.
He impressed on loan at Preston last season - winning both the player of the season and young player of the season awards.
Kesler-Hayden came through the ranks at Villa, making four substitute appearances, and any cash will help the club as they look to comply with profit and sustainability rules.
Noel Sliney
BBC Sport senior journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesAston Villa are one of only two Premier League clubs, along with Fulham, not to have signed or sold a first-team player so far this summer.
Villa are widely considered to be the top-flight side most at risk of breaching the Premier League's profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).
Clubs are only allowed a combined loss of more than £105m over three seasons, and Villa reported losses of £85.4m for 2023-24 and £119.6m for 2022-23. Their current financial year ends on 30 June.
The combination of PSR concerns and missing out on Champions League qualification means Villa will need to be shrewd in the transfer market.
It remains to be seen whether they need to make a big-money sale over the coming days or if the club has found another way of staying within the PSR limits - they are reportedly considering selling their women's team, a ploy used by Chelsea in April.
Regardless, Villa's squad may need significant reshaping this summer.
A right winger and right-back are believed to be priority signings, while the squad is light in central defence and up front. Ollie Watkins could be available for the right price, loanees Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio and Axel Disasi have returned to their parent clubs and Leon Bailey and Emi Martinez are both expected to leave.
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your views on who Aston Villa should buy if goalkeeper Emi Martinez leaves the club this summer.
Here are some of your comments:
Ian: If Martinez does leave let's make sure we get best price possible and we should look at either Henderson or Ramsdale to replace him. Both I feel are very good young keepers who have Premier League experience and can only improve. The other option is young Trafford from Burnley. We also need a good back-up as well.
Richard: I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned Ramsdale as a potential replacement if Martinez goes.
Rob: I'd rather Emi Martinez stayed at Villa next season. Goalkeepers with international pedigree and silverware are incredibly difficult to find at reasonable prices. Not to mention his leadership and charisma on and off the pitch! But if we have to let him go, I think Unai Emery should sign the goalkeeper that won him his most recent Europa League: Geronimo Rulli.
Emma: If Martinez goes, Chevalier seems a good choice. At the end of the day no one player is bigger than the club.
Matt: I'd rather take a 6/10 point deduction than use Martinez's sale to pass PSR. A new goalkeeper having to gel with our defence will cost us those points throughout the season.
Image source, Getty ImagesBBC Sport chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering your questions on all things Premier League.
Matt asked: There are a lot of rumours about Emi Martinez going to Manchester United. If this does happen, who would Aston Villa target as a replacement?
Phil answered: Jordan Pickford is England's best keeper but Everton will not sell and he is incredibly happy there so it will not be him.
James Trafford is a fine young keeper at Burnley, but he will not come cheap and Newcastle United have been heavily linked there. If he left would Nick Pope be happy as second choice? I'm not so sure.
Trafford would be very much a live contender for clubs seeking an upgrade (I put Chelsea in that bracket as well) in the goalkeeper position.
One keeper who is currently being linked with Villa is Lille's Lucas Chevalier, who was Ligue 1's keeper of the season.
Villa is a club that prepares for all eventualities, and with Martinez appearing to wave goodbye at the end of last season, they will no doubt have a plan in place should this come to pass.
All depends on what happens now with the self-styled (although not in my opinion) "world's number one" Martinez.
What do you think? Who should Villa buy if Martinez leaves the club this summer?
Get in touch with your thoughts here
Aston Villa are prepared to sell striker Louie Barry this month to help ease PSR concerns, putting a host of Championship clubs on alert. (Pete O'Rourke), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesOur chief football writer Phil McNulty has been taking your questions.
Dan asked: Do Villa have to sell a player before the end of the month for the second season in a row? Who is it most likely to be? Can they then start buying players again in July?
Andrew asked: Us Aston Villa fans have been given mixed messages by 'the experts' about how much PSR trouble we are in. Some say we need to sell players before the deadline to comply, while others think we will be absolutely fine. Can you bring any clarity on our situation?
Phil answered: I said last week that Villa will certainly have to be smart in the markets to keep on the right side of PSR, but this is a club of high ambition who will do everything to ensure Unai Emery's squad is strengthened not weakened.
The fact they did not achieve Champions League football for next season is, of course, another blow.
There is a speculation that goalkeeper Emi Martinez could leave, while Villa would be open to the sale of Leon Bailey. Jacob Ramsey has been touted for a move away but there would be real pain for Villa and their fans if a gifted local talent was sold, so I think that would only be considered with the greatest reluctance.
Morgan Rogers is regarded as untouchable, but there will be sales.
Villa and Emery are experienced enough to plan for all eventualities, so I can see sales but also incomings to strengthen the squad.
It would have been a lot easier had they been able to get Champions League football for next season but I think you can trust Emery and the rest of Villa's hierarchy to get it right, given their track record.
Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist
While it is important to pick out local derbies and great away days, the reality of modern football is figuring out who you will be playing after European games in the 2025-26 Premier League fixtures.
Upon the release of the schedule on Wednesday, one Villa supporter told us that this season's selections "look winnable".
If that happens, it will be welcome relief after Unai Emery's side struggled for points after Champions League group stage games in 2024-25.
In fact, they picked up just one win from the eight games, leaving them with a win percentage of just 12.5%.
However, there were difficult opponents in those run of games, including away at eventual champions Liverpool and top-five chasing Chelsea and Nottingham Forest.
This season, it is six home games and three matches against teams that finished last term in the bottom half as well as a game with promoted Burnley.
Sure, they will now have to contend with a Thursday-Sunday schedule, which some teams have struggled with in the past, but Villa had no issue with that two years ago when they qualified from the Champions League.
And, given the nature of their post-Europe opponents, they can perhaps take further comfort from hopefully being fresher when facing the teams they expect to be competing with for Champions League spots again.
Chelsea retain an interest in England midfielder Morgan Rogers, 22, should Aston Villa be open to a sale. (Mail+ - subscription required)
Meanwhile, Villa are willing to sell 28-year-old midfielder Emi Buendia if they receive a bid in excess of £20m for the Argentine. (Caught Offside), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesFollowing the release of the 2025-26 Premier League fixtures, we asked for your thoughts on Aston Villa's schedule.
Here are some of your comments:
Taylor: Nice spread of games for almost all the season, with the exception of the very last two matches, which are horrendous. If we have not established ourselves in the Champions League places by the start of April, we are unlikely to get there at the wire.
Simon: Villa's start looks OK so hopefully we will be top four after the first seven games. December looks tough playing Brighton, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal twice. Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City as three of the final four fixtures makes a difficult end to the season.
Dave: Absolutely abysmal run-in if we need to finish strong, like we have needed to the past few years. We play everyone twice, sure. But Liverpool, Tottenham and City in May is brutal. At least our games after our Europa League fixtures look winnable.
Ian: Well, on paper it looks like a good set of early fixtures and I would like to think we can be up in the top six, if not even the top four. The only thing I would say is that we are away again on the last day! How come?
Jack: We took 16 points from six games in the equivalent fixtures last season. Have to aim for similar. Newcastle at home is tough and Crystal Palace seem to have our number but I think we can take 14-16 points. A good start will be massive if we are to finish in the top five.
Will: I think the start isn't bad and with a couple of additions we will have the depth to compete on all fronts if we can avoid major injuries - unlike last year. My concern is the Christmas period and the final few games where we have tough runs. We will need a strong start to push for top four this season.
