Aston Villa are suddenly in the midst of one of the biggest squad rebuilds in recent memory amid plenty of incomings and outgoings.

There hadn’t been much activity before this past week, when Youri Tielemans joined Manchester United out of the blue. The club triggered a £35 million release clause in the Belgian’s contract.

Villa reacted quickly and paid a club record £52 million for Swiss midfielder Johan Manzambi. This was followed by a deal for Joao Gomes, who arrived from Wolverhampton Wanderers for £38m.

Chelsea then hijacked Arsenal’s move for Morgan Rogers and paid a British transfer record £117m for the English attacker. The twists keep on coming for the Villans as they have been offered the chance to sign a former target.

Aston Villa Offered Liam Delap

via Reuters

Villa have been in the market for a new striker and Chelsea have reportedly offered them Liam Delap. A report from Football Insider claims that the Blues’ new boss Xabi Alonso deems the English frontman surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge.

Delap, dubbed “fantastic”, had been on Emery’s radar before heading to west London from Ipswich Town for £30m last summer. After impressing in his first Premier League season with the Tractor Boys, many expected him to shine.

That hasn’t been the case as Delap has flopped, enduring disastrous form since making the move. He managed just one goal in 28 league games.

Villa have seemingly been put off by the 23-year-old’s struggles as they are reportedly “not interested” in signing him this summer. Emery prefers to swoop for a more dynamic and pacey forward rather than the Englishman.

That could well be Nicolas Jackson, who spent last season on loan at Bayern Munich after falling out of favour at Chelsea. GIVEMESPORT sources understand that the Villans have made an enquiry about signing the Senegalese striker who played under Emery at Villarreal.

Jackson is Perfect For Villa

Villa are undoubtedly making the right decision not to take up Chelsea’s offer to sign Delap. His poor past season is hard to ignore, and he doesn’t feel like an Emery-type striker.

Jackson, on the other hand, would be an excellent addition to the Villans’ squad and could be a long-term solution. At 25, he is at an ideal age to come in and lead the line for Emery for years to come.

A potential deal will probably be more expensive than one for Delap, but it would be worth it. He performed well for the Blues after making the move from Villarreal despite heavy scrutiny, and Emery knows him well.

The reigning Premier League champions, Arsenal, are facing the task of defending their league crown for the first time since 2004 and will want to hit the ground running.

Having finally edged out rivals Manchester City in a back-and-forth title race, the focus will be on repeating the success. Losing out in the Champions League final on penalties will also be a significant motivator.

Expect Mikel Arteta to tweak his squad ever so slightly; it was well documented that he already possessed one of the best squads in Europe last season, meaning we can’t expect too many major changes.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be changes, as title winners often have to add something new to their makeup to ensure they have a new dynamic — but changing or spending too much, like Liverpool in 2025, could be detrimental to their chances of going back-to-back.

Ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, GIVEMESPORT brings you every new signing and departure from the Emirates Stadium.

New Arsenal Signings 2026/27

Arsenal’s squad is already among the best in England, which is why Arteta hasn’t overseen a lot of activity in terms of incomings in July. The main addition is confirming that key defender Piero Hincapie has made his loan move permanent from Bayer Leverkusen for around £34.5m.

The Ecuador international made 39 appearances in his debut campaign, starting seven Champions League games, including the final, and was often rotated with Riccardo Calafiori. Also arriving is Leeds United keeper Illan Meslier on a free transfer to round out their goalkeeper trio of David Raya and Kepa Arrizabalaga.

A new winger is on the cards, with Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams reportedly a key target. Other figures include Newcastle United‘s Bruno Guimaraes, who has been a long-term target and who could bolster their already-impressive engine room.

There’s also the Club Brugge attacker Christos Tzolis, who is reportedly close to signing for the club, having netted 17 goals and provided 23 assists as he led his side to the Belgium league title last season.

Arsenal Departures 2026/27

Regarding departures, the big news is that Leandro Trossard has left for new pastures, signing for Turkish club Besiktas for around £15.3million. Having started an average of 20 league games across his Arsenal career, his average of 13 goal contributions per campaign will certainly be missed, but there is a consensus that the left-wing/left-attack position is one that needed upgrading.

Another exit is defender Jakub Kiwior. The Poland international had just spent a season on loan with Porto. His impressive form ensured that they exercised their option to make the deal permanent for around £14.7m, and he leaves three years after moving to North London. The only other exit was backup keeper Karl Hein, who has also seen his loan made permanent — joining Werder Bremen for a fee just under £3m.

Outside of that, the Gunners have allowed a whole host of youngsters to leave for free, including: Jadon Josh Nichols, Alexei Rojas-Fedorushchenko, Samuel Onyekachukwu, Will Lannin-Sweet, Cam’ron Ismail, Seb Ferdinand, Harrison Dudziak and Sam Chapman.

Other potential deals include midfielder Fabio Vieira, who has spent the majority of his Arsenal career on loan. Even big names such as Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri could exit, as up to eight players could still depart.

Related Transfer News

Tottenham Hotspur are intent on testing Bournemouth’s resolve over striker Eli Junior Kroupi, although they have now identified two potential alternatives to the Frenchman, according to TEAMtalk.

Kroupi enjoyed an outstanding debut campaign in the Premier League last season, scoring 13 goals in 33 appearances for the Cherries as they qualified for the Europa League. This fruitful season has prompted clubs across Europe to observe the 20-year-old closely, and Spurs are now actively trying to sign him.

However, Bournemouth remain adamant that the teenager is not for sale, with prices in and around the £85million mark mooted as the type of fee that may prompt them to consider sanctioning his departure.

While the Lilywhites haven’t given up hope of landing Kroupi, they are preparing moves for alternative targets in case they can’t pull off this blockbuster deal for the former Lorient man.

Tottenham considering moves for Asllani and Tresoldi

via Reuters

Spurs are on the hunt for a striker this summer, with Richarlison’s future uncertain and Dominic Solanke struggling for fitness and form last term.

TEAMtalk report that Hoffenheim forward Fisnik Asllani has emerged as a target on the North London club’s radar. Asllani scored 11 goals and provided eight assists last season across all competitions for the German club, sparking Tottenham’s interest.

While Barcelona and RB Leipzig are also said to have tracked the Kosovan’s progress in recent years, Spurs have actively contacted Hoffenheim about the player’s availability in recent weeks.

Club Brugge striker Nicolo Tresoldi is another name under consideration. The German netted 23 times and registered seven assists last season for the Belgian outfit.

TEAMtalk suggest Spurs have carried out background work on Tresoldi, although they face stiff competition from Roma, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal for his signature.

Deals for either player shouldn’t be too difficult for Spurs to pull off, although Kroupi remains the preferred option.

Spurs should move for Nicolo Tresoldi

Kroupi is arguably the most promising young striker in Europe at the moment, although Bournemouth are seemingly staunch in their stance that they won’t cash in on the starlet this summer, unless Spurs fork out an unreasonable fee.

For that reason, Tottenham ought to accelerate a move for one of their alternative targets. The new season starts in just over a month, and the Lilywhites likely have limited funds left in their budget after spending big money on Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, so they should stop wasting their time on Kroupi.

Roberto De Zerbi’s team needs goals, so Tresoldi seems to be the most sensible purchase they could make. Significantly more prolific than Asllani, albeit in a less challenging league, the Brugge star is just 21 and has shown a capacity to lead the line for a team in the Champions League.

The Belgian giants are set to sell Christos Tzolis to Arsenal for just £34million, possibly indicating that they’re prepared to negotiate reasonable deals at reasonable prices for their prized possessions.