Aaron Wan-Bissaka's time at West Ham United is coming to an end. Confirmed by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the right-back is heading to Aston Villa on a loan deal that includes a conditional obligation to buy, with the fee reported to fall between £20 million and £23 million once the move is made permanent. The conditions are an undisclosed set of targets that include appearances made.
This is a similar deal Aston Villa made with Liverpool last season with Harvey Elliott. After 10 appearances, Aston Villa would have been on the hook to buy Elliott for £35 million. After a few matches, manager Unai Emery decided he did not want the player, and Elliott spent the rest of the season deactivated. While it's unclear whether the deal matches the exact same terms. There will be more clarity on this as details are released after Wan-Bissaka passes his medical and is announced.
Just over a year ago, he was being celebrated as the club's Hammer of the Year for the 2024-25 season, a reward for a first campaign in East London that saw him quickly establish himself as one of the more dependable pieces in an otherwise shaky West Ham side.
That standing didn't carry over into last season. As West Ham's campaign unraveled on the way to relegation, Wan-Bissaka found himself squeezed out of the starting eleven by Kyle Walker-Peters, who took over as the club's first-choice right-back for large stretches of the second half of the season. Nuno Espírito Santo gave Wan-Bissaka a run of opportunities late in the campaign, but the performances didn't do enough to change the trajectory of either his season or the team's.
🚨🟣🔵 Breaking: Aston Villa agree deal to sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka from West Ham, here we go!
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 18, 2026
Deal in place on loan with mandatory buy clause, green light from the player to #AVFC project. Agreement between all parties.
Green light for medical. pic.twitter.com/COpiNOBHFe
Adding to the difficulties of his final season was a late return from international duty. Wan-Bissaka was away with the DR Congo national team, helping guide them to World Cup qualification, a genuine achievement on the international stage and arguably the highlight of his year. Rather than returning to West Ham straight away, he flew to Congo for several days to celebrate the achievement with the squad, a decision that reportedly did not sit well back at the club during a period when West Ham were fighting for their Premier League survival.
Now, with West Ham relegated to the Championship and looking to trim their wage bill and recoup fees on players who don't fit into the club's rebuilding plans, the two sides are mutually parting ways. Villa have been searching for right-back depth and competition for Matty Cash, and a loan with an obligation structure allows both clubs to manage the transaction with some flexibility. Villa get to integrate the player without committing the full fee upfront, while West Ham secure a permanent sale once the obligation is triggered.
West Ham signed Wan-Bissaka from Manchester United in the summer of 2024 for a reported £15 million, a fee that looked shrewd during his first season in claret and blue. If the reported £20-23 million obligation to buy goes through, it would represent a solid profit for West Ham on a player who, despite an up-and-down second season, still holds clear value in the market given his Premier League pedigree and his performances for DR Congo at the World Cup.
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