Aston Villa

Chelsea are close to an agreement with Aston Villa to sign 18-year-old forward Omari Kellyman. A deal is expected to be struck for around £19million. The finer details still need to be finalised between the two clubs and player and Kellyman will need to undergo a medical and agree personal terms before a deal can be completed. Kellyman joined the Villa academy from Derby County in 2022 and broke into the first team in 2023. The deal is £1million less than the £20million Chelsea paid to sign teenage midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa in the summer of 2022. Kellyman made two...

Why two teams exchanging players might be the PSR loophole several clubs turn to this summer

Family and friends share their memories of the Montenegro goalkeeper who died suddenly, aged 26, last week

Some clubs may have found a quick fix for their PSR problems. Here's how

The transfer market officially opened last week, but is likely to be in the doldrums for a while. Here's why, and what might unblock it

Everton winger Lewis Dobbin has held positive talks over a transfer to Aston Villa. The 21-year-old made 15 first-team appearances for Sean Dyche’s side last season, but started just one Premier League match. He scored his first Everton goal as a substitute in the 2-0 league victory over Chelsea in December 2023. Dobbin made his first-team debut for Everton in September 2021 and spent the 2022-23 campaign on loan at Derby County in League One, where he scored five goals across 54 appearances. In a separate transaction between the clubs, The Athletic reported earlier this week that...

Aston Villa have agreed a deal with Chelsea to sign left-back Ian Maatsen. With a £35million release clause in Maatsen’s contract specific only to Borussia Dortmund and now expired anyway, Villa and Chelsea have compromised on a fee just above that figure. Personal terms are also in place on a six-year contract, which Villa are working to finalise. Villa manager Unai Emery is a huge admirer of the 22-year-old and wants to recruit him ahead of next season, when the West Midlands side will contest Champions League football for the first time. Maatsen’s terms at Chelsea had been scheduled to...

Everton are in advanced talks to sign midfielder Tim Iroegbunam from Aston Villa. The 20-year-old joined Villa in 2022 having come through West Bromwich Albion’s academy and spent the 2022-23 season on loan at Queens Park Rangers, making 32 appearances and scoring twice. Nothing is yet agreed but personal terms are not expected to be an issue, with Everton targeting a midfielder following speculation around Amadou Onana’s future. Villa are prepared to let Iroegbunam leave, with the England under-20 international keen for regular game-time and is viewed as an asset that would help...

With the 2024-25 Premier League fixtures released, we analyse which clubs have the toughest - and easiest - opening sets of five games

Welcome to our weekly guide to everything that is happening in the summer transfer window

Villa are keen to strengthen at left-back this summer, meaning one of Digne or Moreno may have to make way

Millwall goalkeeper Matija Sarkic has died aged 26. The Montenegro international last played on June 5, in a friendly against Belgium where he impressed in a 2-0 defeat. He won nine caps for his country after making his debut in November 2019. He joined Millwall from Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 2023, going on to establish himself as the Championship club’s number one. He kept 12 clean sheets in 33 games in 2023-24, helping his side finish 13th in the Championship. Millwall confirmed the news in a statement which read: “Millwall Football Club is completely devastated to announce that...

Welcome to The Athletic 500, where we rate the tactical, financial and risk value of this summer's senior Premier League transfers

Leon Bailey has been included in Jamaica’s Copa America squad despite saying he would take a break from the national team in March. Bailey’s father, Craig Butler, has said on social media that his son’s position “has not changed” regarding his participation with Jamaica. “We kindly ask that you respect his wishes at this time,” Butler added. “Posts made on social media that are surfacing at this time is a misrepresentation of his position. We wish the Reggae Boyz well in the Copa America competition and he, along with his management team, will...

Aston Villa are in talks to terminate attacking midfielder Philippe Coutinho’s contract. The 32-year-old joined Qatari side Al Duhail last summer after falling out of favour at Villa Park. The club and player are trying to reach a mutual agreement and are taking Coutinho’s preference into consideration. The Brazillian made two Premier League appearances in August before moving to Qatar, where he went on to score seven goals and provide three assists in 22 games. He has been in talks to rejoin his former club Vasco da Gama back in Brazil, but any transfer could only be facilitated by...