Aston Villa won the race to sign Brazil midfielder Joao Gomes from Wolves on Monday in a deal worth a reported £38 million ($51 million).
Villa moved for Gomes after Chelsea agreed to sign England midfielder Morgan Rogers from Unai Emery’s side.
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The 25-year-old, who has won 10 caps for Brazil, was also a target for Atletico Madrid, but Villa convinced him to make the switch from Championship side Wolves.
Gomes made 130 appearances for Wolves after signing from Flamengo in 2023, but was unable to stop them suffering relegation from the Premier League last season.
His move to Villa Park is part of a major overhaul of the Europa League winners’ squad.
Rogers is set to depart in a £117 million deal that will set a new record fee for an English player.
Villa also sold Youri Tielemans to Manchester United earlier in July, while Belgium midfielder Amadou Onana is out until next year after suffering a serious knee injury at the World Cup.
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Emery swooped for Freiburg’s Swiss winger Johan Manzambi on Friday in a £50 million transfer that stands as Villa’s new record fee.
Wolves technical director Matt Jackson said: “Joao deserves everything he gets from the game. He’s the type of professional that coaches love and players love, so he will go on to be the outstanding player that we know he is.”
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