Aaron Wan-Bissaka is set to leave West Ham for Aston Villa after the clubs agreed a deal for the right-back, according to BBC Sport and The Standard. The reports say the 28-year-old will move on loan, with an obligation or mandatory clause to make the transfer permanent later in the season.
BBC Sport says Wan-Bissaka has been granted permission to travel for a medical in the Midlands, while The Standard reports that the medical will take place shortly. That is the clearest sign yet that the move has advanced beyond general interest and into the final stages, even if the exact legal terms have not been fully spelled out publicly.
The structure of the deal matters because both outlets describe a loan-based arrangement rather than an immediate outright sale. BBC Sport adds that West Ham had previously wanted clubs to pay £25m, which gives a sense of the valuation that has framed the negotiations, although it is not confirmed that Villa will pay that figure in the end.
For Aston Villa, the move appears designed to strengthen the right-back area. The Standard says Villa had been in the market for a new right-back to provide competition for Matty Cash, so Wan-Bissaka would arrive with a clear positional purpose rather than as a speculative signing.
Wan-Bissaka’s possible exit also fits West Ham’s broader summer churn, with both reports noting that he has missed their early matches during negotiations. The Standard adds that he was left out of the matchday squad for the Championship opener at Burnley, which underlines how far along the separation had become before this latest agreement.
The sourcing is relatively strong for this stage of the story because a Tier 1 BBC report is backed by an independent second report from The Standard. The two articles are broadly aligned on the destination, the player and the medical, while differing slightly on wording around the purchase obligation; neither, however, amounts to an official club announcement.
Wan-Bissaka therefore looks close to a move that solves a direct squad need for Villa and gives West Ham a further senior departure to manage. The only major unknowns now are the final wording of the obligation, the medical outcome and when the move is formally completed.
This is a substantive step beyond mere speculation, but it is not yet an official completion. The deal has been agreed in principle, the player has been allowed to travel and both reports point to a transfer that should progress quickly if the medical is passed.
Why it matters
Villa appear to be addressing a specific right-back need with a deal that has moved beyond interest and into the medical stage, while West Ham are in line to lose another senior player. The remaining uncertainty is procedural rather than directional: the move still needs to be formally completed and the exact purchase terms clarified.
What remains unconfirmed
- No official club announcement has been reported.
- The exact final terms of the obligation and any purchase fee are not fully confirmed.
- It is not stated that the medical has been completed.
- The precise timing of the move remains unconfirmed.