The 25-year-old has signed a five-year contract at Villa Park. Alex Livesey/Getty ImagesJuly 20, 2026 Updated 6:16 am EDTAston Villa have announced the signing of midfielder Joao Gomes on a five-year contract.Gomes has joined Villa for a fee of around £35million having undergone a medical on Friday, which was successful, and follows the exit of Youri Tielemans to Manchester United.
João ready? pic.twitter.com/ap0fCKuVUD
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) July 20, 2026Gomes is the second midfield signing of the summer for Villa after Johan Manzambi completed a move from Freiburg for a club-record fee. The recruitment in the middle of the pitch follows Tielemans’ departure and Amadou Onana’s knee ligament injury sustained in the World Cup.Villa have also reached a verbal agreement with Chelsea to sell Morgan Rogers for a £117million (€137m, $157m) fee.
Gomes, 25, joined Wolves from Flamengo in 2023 and made 130 appearances for the now-Championship side. Last season he featured in 35 of their 38 Premier League games before getting relegated but was not part of Carlo Ancelotti’s World Cup squad.The Brazilian has made 10 senior international appearances, the most recent of which came in March 2025.Signing driven by Unai EmeryThe signing of Gomes shows how quickly plans change at Villa. The intention was not to sign a central midfielder earlier this month, yet with Onana suffering a long-term injury and Manchester United activating Tielemans’ release clause, Villa had to make a move.The 25-year-old is an energetic, experienced Premier League performer who can play alongside Boubacar Kamara or instead of him, helping the France international manage his game-time as he returns from his own long-term injury.Unai Emery, who pushed for the signing, will aim to develop Gomes in possession, but he has the raw materials to be a success at Villa Park and a favourite among supporters.
