Aston Villa sign Leon Bailey from Bayer Leverkusen for reported £30 million fee

08/04/2021

Following weeks of speculation, Aston Villa have signed Leon Bailey for a reported fee of around £30 million with the forward signing a four year deal until 2025 with the club. The Jamaican international becomes the club’s third new arrival this summer following Emiliano Buendia and Ashley Young.

With news that Jack Grealish is set to leave Aston Villa for a reported fee of around £100 million, it has many Villa fans concerned as to how the club will replace him. However, having already signed Emiliano Buendia and Ashley Young, reports indicated that the Villa Park side were looking for another attacker to help fill the gap. That came alongside reports that the club were in talks with Bayer Leverkusen over a potential move for Leon Bailey which was confirmed his step-father.

But after weeks of negotiations, Aston Villa have confirmed that they have signed the 23-year-old forward on a four year contract. Bailey becomes the club’s third summer signing behind Young and Buendia with him signing for a reported £30 million fee. The move was revealed via a post on the club’s social media pages and it saw Dean Smith overjoyed at the transfer. The Villa boss admitted that he’s happy the move took place and believes that Bailey will enjoy a successful spell in England.

"Leon is a hugely exciting young striker with great pace and creativity. He has enjoyed a successful career at Leverkusen and we are now looking forward to watching him show his skills and talents for Aston Villa in the Premier League,” Smith told Aston Villa’s official website.