Aston Villa are set to rival AC Milan and Newcastle for England striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, 28, who is a free agent after leaving Everton. (Sun), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesAston Villa were held to a 2-2 draw by Eintracht Frankfurt in the opening match of their pre-season tour of the United states.
Unai Emery named a strong side with Ollie Watkins, Donyell Malen, Matty Cash, Lucas Digne, Youri Tielemans and Emi Buendia all making their first appearances of pre-season.
It was striker Watkins who put the Villans ahead in the 12th minute at the Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky, before Elye Wahi pulled the German side level shortly afterwards.
Morgan Rogers scored just minutes after coming on the pitch as a substitute when he converted from Malen's assist.
But, Eintracht Frankfurt's Eba Bekir pegged Villa back with a 25-yard strike eight minutes from full-time to secure the draw.
Emery's side will continue their preparations for the new season when they face MLS side St Louis in Minnesota at 01:30 BST on Thursday, 31 July.
Jordan Butler
BBC Sport Journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesBoubacar Kamara's new contract is a huge boost to Aston Villa, who have otherwise been one of the quietest Premier League clubs in this summer's busy transfer market.
The midfielder had two years remaining on his previous deal and decided to further commit his future to Villa despite them narrowly missing out on a Champions League place last season.
Kamara, 25, joined on a free transfer in May 2022 after he was persuaded to leave Marseille by then-manager Steven Gerrard.
The France international suffered a season-ending knee injury in February 2024 and returned eight months later to establish himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet.
"Kamara is a very important player; he gives us a lot of balance," said Unai Emery last season. "Tactically, he is very intelligent. When he was injured, we lost that balance."
Aside from balance, they also lost a key defensive fulcrum. Villa conceded an average of 1.6 goals per Premier League game without Kamara in the side last season – with him, that number fell to 1.2.
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your views on how important Boubacar Kamara is for Aston Villa and how you feel, as fans, about his contract extension.
Here are some of your comments:
Damien: Best deal of the summer. Getting Kamara on a free three years ago was incredible business. Securing him now is so important. We can build around him (if he stays fit) and if we can't match his ambitions in the next couple of years then at least we can demand a suitable fee for such a top player. Losing him might be less emotional than the likes of Emi Martinez, Ollie Watkins or Tyrone Mings, but Kamara is more important to our future than those three.
Craig: Don't think we'll have a better signing this window. He makes the team tick and was a massive loss while out with his ACL injury. After all the speculation of whether he would sign a new deal, this is a huge positive.
Frank: Great news. Such an underrated player, only truly appreciated by the Villa fans who see him week in, week out.
Matt: Kamara is an excellent player who provides solidity in midfield and unlocks Youri Tielemans to be a more effective attacking player. It is great to see him commit his future to the club.
Ian: Delighted that Kamara has committed long term to the Villa. A very key player for our progression, but I am concerned of lack of activity in the transfer window. We need cover at centre-back and we definitely need another striker to cover Watkins - Jack Grealish, for me, plus we need to keep the rest of the squad. I trust Unai Emery but was hoping any deals would have already been done. Let's hope there are some in the pipeline, keep the faith.
Cassie: Kamara has always been an unsung hero in midfield for Villa. He can read a game, shield the ball well and also can defend. We need to keep our best players.
Nathan: Fantastic news- a bedrock of our midfield here to stay is a great signing! Excellent at breaking opposition play and starting off attacks, and noticeably adding to his game the ability to arrive late at the edge of the box in attack. Boubacar is a top-class all-round midfielder to have around the camp. Well done to Villa for this solid piece of business.
Paul: Kamara signing a new contract is fantastic news. He is arguably the best defensive midfield player in the Premier League after Rodri and he joined on a free transfer. We got Tielemans on a free too. The two biggest bargains ever!
Aston Villa have told Manchester United that striker Ollie Watkins is not for sale. (Telegraph - subscription required), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesAston Villa midfielder Boubacar Kamara has signed a new contract which will keep him at the club until 2030.
The 25-year-old has made 97 appearances for Villa since joining from Marseille in the summer of 2022.
How pleased are you with that news? How important is he to Villa?
Aston Villa will not re-sign midfielder Douglas Luiz from Juventus after pulling out of the race for the 27-year-old. (Sun), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Manchester United are considering a move for Emiliano Martinez but may be put off by Aston Villa's £40m valuation of the goalkeeper. (Mail), external
Meanwhile, Villa, Chelsea and Tottenham are monitoring Alejandro Garnacho's situation at Old Trafford, with clubs believing the 21-year-old Argentina winger could be available for about £40m. (Telegraph - subscription required), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column
Aston Villa lost 3-1 to German third division side Hansa Rostock in their second pre-season friendly.
Jacob Ramsey put Villa ahead just before half-time at the Ostseestadion with a neat finish from the edge of the box but Hansa equalsied on the hour mark before two late goals took the game away from Unai Emery's side.
The loss follows Wednesday's defeat to League Two Walsall.
Aston Villa are considering bringing Brazil and Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz back to the club, but Everton have submitted a bid for the 27-year-old and West Ham are also interested. (Teamtalk, external)
Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesAston Villa lost 1-0 at League Two side Walsall in their first pre-season friendly on Wednesday.
Harrison Burke's close-range strike in the 38th minute proved to be the only goal of the game at Bescot Stadium.
It was a young Villa squad that travelled and 22 players were given minutes. Senior players who started included Pau Torres, Ross Barkley and Jacob Ramsey, while Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara were among those who featured in the second half.
Meanwhile, former Villa winger Albert Adomah was playing for the Saddlers.
Unai Emery's men head to Germany to face Hansa Rostock on Saturday for their second of an eight-match pre-season campaign.
Aston Villa are among the Premier League clubs weighing up a move for Manchester United and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho, 21. (Mail), external
Villa are also monitoring Nicolas Jackson's situation at Chelsea, with Manchester United and AC Milan also interested in the 24-year-old Senegal striker. (Times - subscription required), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Liverpool have made enquiries about four more attackers in case they are unable to secure a deal for 25-year-old Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak. Their list includes 29-year-old Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins. (Mail+ - subscription required), external
Nottingham Forest have made Aston Villa and England Under-21s midfielder Jacob Ramsey their number one target this window. (Telegraph - subscription required), external
Want more transfer news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column
Image source, Getty ImagesAston Villa have signed goalkeeper Marco Bizot for an undisclosed fee from Brest.
The 34-year-old played for the Ligue 1 side in last season's Champions League and has been capped at senior level by the Netherlands.
Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesMonday night saw BBC Radio WM run a fan form. One of the topics discussed was whether John McGinn and Tyrone Mings should be kept at Villa Park.
You can listen to the forum in full here
Here's what BBC Radio WM's Mike Taylor has to say on the futures of McGinn and Mings:
Could Aston Villa find another midfielder as capable with the ball as John McGinn, and another defender with the same strengths as Tyrone Mings, at an acceptable price-point? Quite possibly. Their recruitment structure, assembled and overseen by Unai Emery and Monchi, is strong and well-connected. They have the data, they have the contacts, they could find those players.
There is a lot of truth in football data, but not all of the truth. McGinn and Mings have many measurable qualities, but their most abundant feature is not on the spreadsheets. They are proven leaders, lifting - and occasionally dragging - the club upwards. The club, note, not just the team. Football may be more stats-dominated than ever before, but you can't count a feeling. McGinn and Mings bring personality, and leadership, connecting their team-mates to each other and to their supporters.
The time will come when those two veterans of the Championship promotion will not be worthy of their places in the Villa squad on their leadership skills alone. But it has not come yet. Their best features may be hard to count, but they'll be missed when they're gone.
Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesMonday night saw BBC Radio WM run a fan form. One of the topics discussed was whether a Villa Park return for Jack Grealish would make sense.
You can listen to the forum in full here
Here's what BBC Radio WM's Mike Taylor has to say on the Grealish prospect:
The vibes for a Grealish return ought to be good. He was an instrumental figure in lifting the club back up a level, setting them on the path to their recent success. The story of a Grealish return is an enticing thought. As a personality, he would of course fit back in at Villa.
Whether he would fit in now as a player is a different, and trickier, question. The best of Grealish was always in those moments where the patterns of play were blurred, leaving room for a freehand artist to express himself. By some accounts, Grealish's fading from relevance at Manchester City is because the rigid structures have denied him that space.
Unai Emery's Villa have their structures, too. But at their best, there has always been room within them for pace, for tricks, for joy. A more mature, experienced Grealish might be able to fit his pictures within that more forgiving frame, if the deal is right.
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked you if you think a return to Aston Villa would work out for Jack Grealish as it came up as a point of debate in a BBC Radio WM fan forum that aired on Monday.
We also wanted to know if you would keep Tyrone Mings and John McGinn at Villa Park given their futures are also discussed on the show.
Here are some of your comments:
Martyn: Since Jack left and Unai took charge we have become a much more structured side so I doubt coming back now would suit Jack or Villa. With a need to reduce our wage expenditure I'm not convinced this would work financially either.
Steve: McGinn going wouldn't be the worst thing - a decent player but I think we need better to progress.
Kasad: I'm a big fan of Mings and I feel he is a far better defender than Torres. Mings and Konsa to start I hope .
Adam: I think Grealish back at Villa would be great for both parties. There is obviously a talented player there whose natural play has been suppressed in Guardiola's system and he could thrive at Villa if given the freedom to express his natural game
Anthony: Jack Grealish isn't good enough to get into the Villa team.
Gary: I think Jack returning would work. I think Unai works miracles with players and would raise Jack back up to the standard he was when City bought him.
Ian: McGinn and Mings are going nowhere.
All 20 clubs earn a share of Premier League prize money. The amount each club receives depends on their league position and number of televised matches.
Prize money consists of UK and international merit broadcast payments, equal shares, commercial revenues and facility fees.
All clubs received a central commercial payment of £7.9m and equal shares from UK (£29.8m) and international (£59.2m) revenues.
Clubs are also paid a facility fee for matches broadcast on domestic TV. Liverpool had 30 of their 38 league matches televised - more than any other club.
1st: Liverpool - £174.9m
2nd: Arsenal - £171.5m
3rd: Manchester City - £165.5m
4th: Chelsea - £163.7m
5th: Newcastle United - £160.2m
6th: Aston Villa - £159.3m
7th: Nottingham Forest - £152.5m
8th: Brighton - £145.1m
9th: Bournemouth - £143.4m
10th: Brentford - £138.9m
11th: Fulham - £135.5m
12th: Crystal Palace - £136.1m
13th: Everton - £131.8m
14th: West Ham - £130.9m
15th: Manchester United - £136.2m
16th: Wolves - £123.1m
17th: Tottenham - £127.8m
18th: Leicester - £116.9m
19th: Ipswich Town - £111.1m
20th: Southampton - £109.2m
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Image source, Getty ImagesBBC Radio WM's Villa fan forum kicks off at 1800 BST on Monday and you'll see in the posts below that Jack Grealish is a hot topic, as is the futures of John McGinn and Tyrone Mings.
Would Grealish work back at Villa? And how do you feel about Mings and McGinn?
Tell us and we'll also feed your views back to the team at BBC WM
Image source, Getty ImagesAston Villa have confirmed Kosta Nedeljkovic has rejoined RB Leipzig on a season long loan.
The Serbia full-back spent the second half of last season with the Bundesliga side, making 11 appearances in the Bundesliga.
Still only 19, Nedeljkovic became Villa's 1,000th player on the opening day of the 2024-25 season.
Image source, Getty ImagesFormer Villa striker Garry Thompson has been speaking as part of a fan's forum which will be broadcast on BBC Radio West Midlands on Monday evening [18:00 - 19:00 BST].
In the second of two posts on this page today, he speaks on the club's need to keep long-serving players and a possible return for Jack Grealish.
On Grealish:
He's a very very talented footballer, he was magnificent for Aston Villa. He got us £100m, went of to Manchester City and now Riyad Mahrez is the only talented wide player I've seen go to City and still show what he can do. Every wide player who has gone there has been nullified in one way or another.
He played for England earlier in this season under Lee Carsley and looked more like himself in the number 10, but generally Jack Grealish - it bugs me now when people say he's a robot and not as good, we saw how good the kid can be.
It hurts me now to see this kid has become a player who takes two touches and gets it and gives it and doesn't show what he can do.
Bringing him back to Aston Villa could be a massive mistake, I think he's a great player, fantastic, but he needs a new direction and new club to go to to show what he can do. Coming back to Villa wouldn't be the right thing for the club or for him.
Image source, Getty ImagesOn the importance of keeping Mings and McGinn:
There's Tyrone Mings and there's John McGinn - we need leaders in our dressing room and they are leaders. In the dressing room they are leaders. John McGinn does John McGinn things and sometimes it's not pretty to watch but he wins tackles, he leads the team, he sparks people.
I think John McGinn should be here for as long as he wants to be here. Eventually, he will move and he'll get to 33, 34 and he'll move on and he's been magnificent for us. I just think now is the wrong time [to leave] because I'm looking at the way the club is now and this could go one or two ways.
I really think we've got to keep people like John McGinn and Tyrone Mings at this club.
