Aston Villa agree loan deal for Aaron Wan-Bissaka with West Ham

Aston Villa have reached an agreement with West Ham United to sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka on loan, with the deal including an option to make the move permanent at the end of the season.

The Guardian reports that Villa returned with a revised proposal after West Ham rejected an initial attempt to take the right-back on a straight loan. The new structure has now been accepted, although neither club has formally announced the transfer.

Wan-Bissaka would give Unai Emery a proven alternative to Matty Cash on the right side of defence and address a position Villa have been working to strengthen during the final weeks of the window.

The 28-year-old offers a different profile to Cash. His strongest work has traditionally come in defensive situations, particularly one-against-one duels and recovery defending, giving Emery the option of adjusting the balance of his back line according to the opposition.

Villa’s interest had developed significantly over the past week. talkSPORT reported earlier on Tuesday that negotiations were already at an advanced stage, with West Ham valuing the DR Congo international at around £25 million while Villa explored a structure that would avoid an immediate permanent commitment.

That approach appears to have produced the compromise. A loan allows Villa to strengthen immediately while retaining the option to assess Wan-Bissaka over a full season before deciding whether to invest in a permanent transfer.

For West Ham, the agreement creates a potential route to a longer-term separation from a player who remains tied to the club on the seven-year contract he signed after arriving from Manchester United in August 2024.

Wan-Bissaka has spent the past two seasons in east London after West Ham paid a reported £15 million to sign him from United. Before that move, he made 190 appearances for Manchester United following his transfer from Crystal Palace in 2019.

The remaining steps are now procedural. Until the medical, paperwork and club announcements are completed, Wan-Bissaka remains a West Ham player, but the reported agreement means Villa have moved beyond exploratory talks and into the final stage of the transfer.