Aston Villa are gearing up for a busy summer transfer window
Aston Villa soared into the summer in the highest of spirits, after Unai Emery’s side bulldozed their way to the Europa League final, before defeating Freiburg 3-0 to win their first major European trophy since 1982. In doing so, the club booked their place in the Champions League for next season, where they’ll go toe-to-toe with the titans of European football.
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There are plenty of areas where the squad needs to be strengthened, and we expect to see the Villans prioritise the signing of a new winger. On top of that, they could do with another option at right-back, a new central midfielder, and ideally another backup striker. Should Emi Martinez leave the club as the rumours suggest, they’ll need a new first-choice goalkeeper too.
With the summer transfer window now open for business, we loaded up our beloved copy of FM26, and had the football management simulator predicted every player Villa will sign over the course of the 2026 summer transfer window.
Aston Villa’s summer signings predicted: Fati to Kang
Christos Mouzakitis among the players Aston Villa are predicted to sign this summerplaceholder image
Christos Mouzakitis among the players Aston Villa are predicted to sign this summer | Getty Images
Ansu Fati - £18m from Barcelona: Villa snapped up the 23-year-old Spain international for a bargain fee, following a loan spell with Monaco where he scored eleven goals in 25 Ligue 1 outings. Once billed as a wonderkid, Fati never quite lived up to his early hype, but the signs of a revival in France were enough to convince Villa’s recruitment team to take the plunge.
Christos Mouzakitis - £20m from Olympiakos: In the real world, he’s been linked with a move to Manchester United, but FM reckons he’s Villa Park bound instead. He’s a defensive midfielder by trade, but has the ball-playing ability and spatial awareness to thrive as a deep-lying playmaker too. A lovely bit of business for £20m, it must be said.
Kang Sang-yoon - £3m from Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors: Villa took a walk on the wild side next, snapping up the three-cap South Korea international. We initially assumed this was on the back of a strong showing at the World Cup, but he didn’t actually make the squad. He’s a 22-year-old, pint-sized central midfielder, who most likely joined as a rotation option.
Aston Villa’s summer signings predicted: Erakovic to Balogun
Daniel Svensson among the players Aston Villa are predicted to sign this summerplaceholder image
Daniel Svensson among the players Aston Villa are predicted to sign this summer | AFP via Getty Images
Strahinja Erakovic - £5m from Zenit Saint Petersburg: The 22-cap Serbia international impressed during a loan spell back with his boyhood club Red Star Belgrade, and was brought in at the halfway point of the summer transfer window. Erakovic is a powerful ball-playing centre-back who can also do a job at full-back.
Lucas Sanabria - £10m from LA Galaxy: Ah, now we have a World Cup inspired signing! Uruguay somehow battled all the way to the final, knocking out both Portugal and Spain in the process, before suffering heartbreak against France. Sanabria, a midfielder who can also play at left-back, played a big role in the run, and was rewarded with his big Premier League move.
Daniel Svensson - loan move from Borussia Dortmund: Svensson also did the business at the World Cup, causing some chaos bombing down the wing from left-back as Sweden got all the way through to the quarter-finals. Villa brought him in on a loan deal with an option to buy, after Lucas Digne joined his former club Lille, also on a temporary basis.
Falorin Balogun - £30m from Monaco: Fear not, Villa finally got their backup striker, in the form of USA international Folarin Balogun. While his side crashed out of the World Cup in the round of 32, a 19-goal 2025/26 season with Monaco was enough to seal the former Arsenal prospect’s move back to the Premier League, four years after leaving the Gunners.
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