Three times in the last four years, Aston Villa have broken their transfer record. First, when Dean Smith was manager, they shelled out £33m to sign Ollie Watkins from his former club Brentford and then, 12 months later, they agreed to pay £38m to land Emi Buendia from Norwich.
Last summer, under Unai Emery, NSWE blew both of those transfers out of the water by parting with up to £52m to recruit Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen, having previously signed Leon Bailey from the same side.
Rank
Player
Signed from
Year
Fee*
1
Moussa Diaby
Bayer Leverkusen
2023
£52m
2
Emi Buendia
Norwich City
2021
£38m
3
Ollie Watkins
Brentford
2020
£33m
4
Pau Torres
Villarreal
2023
£32m
5
Leon Bailey
Bayer Leverkusen
2021
£30m
*With potential add-ons included
Could they eclipse it again this year? Well, on the one hand, they could potentially have some Champions League money on the way, even if they end up losing out to Spurs in the race for the Premier League top four. As part of the new competition format, the two-best performing nations in this year's tournaments will be entitled to an extra spot, and England is only a fraction behind second-place Germany in the current standings.
On the other hand, though, there's a sense that Villa may have to sell a first-team player before the end of June in order to comply with the league's Profit and Sustainability Rules. Those circumstances may not be especially conducive to a historic outlay.
Villa now set sights on Paqueta
Undeterred, NSWE are now eyeing up a deal for Lucas Paqueta, according to West Ham outlet Claret and Hugh. The Brazilian would like to move to reigning champions Manchester City, but Villa have joined Arsenal, Spurs and Manchester United in making it clear that they will try to sign him if that deal doesn't materialise. Significantly, the 26-year-old's contract includes an £80m release clause.
Paqueta is currently under investigation for alleged breaches of betting rules, which he denies, and is apparently considering legal action against the FA if he doesn't receive a verdict by April. Any move, of course, will hinge upon whether he avoids a ban.
"Magician" Paqueta combines the ugly and the beautiful
Signing Paqueta could be a huge statement, and not just because of the record-shattering transfer fee. Villa and West Ham are two clubs of a similar status, each playing in European competition and trying to pierce the big-six bubble, so it may say a great deal about the former's trajectory if they can poach a player from the latter.
Dubbed a "magician" by former Premier League midfielder Robbie Mustoe, Paqueta can play as a left winger, number 10 and number eight. He's capable of playing the final ball – he ranks second in the West Ham squad (among those with at least 1,000 minutes played) for expected assists per 90 (0.17) and key passes per 90 (1.55) – but he can also launch dangerous attacks from deeper positions too. Nobody in the Irons ranks averages more progressive passes or passes into the final third than Paqueta (6.9 and 4.76).
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With a penchant for dazzling tricks, the former Lyon man also places second for successful take-ons with 29, only behind Mohammed Kudus (60). However, he embraces the dirty side of the game too, having won the fourth-most tackles (53) and made the seventh-most fouls (50) in the division. That, clearly, is a midfield combination that appeals a great deal to Emery, but Villa could face some mighty competition for this particular transfer.