Aston Villa complete season‑long loan for West Ham defender Aaron Wan‑Bissaka

Aston Villa have completed the signing of West Ham defender Aaron Wan‑Bissaka on a season-long loan deal, the club announced on 21 August 2026. The move includes a conditional obligation to buy, though the precise terms have not been disclosed.

Villa’s agreement contains a conditional obligation to buy with exact details unspecified, and West Ham had previously asked interested clubs to pay a £25m fee. The article notes a recent comparable deal when Villa signed Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy for £35m, which only became permanent if Elliott played 10 league games; he featured in four and returned to Liverpool this summer.

Wan‑Bissaka missed Championship club West Ham's first two matches of the season while negotiations over his return to the top flight were ongoing. The 28‑year‑old defender joined West Ham from Manchester United in 2024 on a seven‑year contract.

Across two seasons with West Ham he made 65 appearances, including 25 in the campaign when the Hammers were relegated to the Championship. Before moving to West Ham he played 190 times for Manchester United and was part of teams that won the League Cup in 2023 and the FA Cup in 2024.

Internationally, Wan‑Bissaka started all four of DR Congo's matches at the 2026 World Cup as they progressed to the round of 32. His World Cup appearances immediately preceded the transfer discussions that resulted in the loan to Villa.

He could be available for Villa's first Premier League game of the season at Brighton on Sunday (14:00 BST). The club will also compete in the Champions League after finishing fourth and winning the Europa League last term under Unai Emery.