Aston Villa are on the rise under Unai Emery, with NSWE backing the manager in the transfer market. However, the club have also cashed in on a number of Villa Park stars down the years – but who is the club’s record departure?
Here is a detailed look at Villa’s most expensive sales in their history, as per Transfermarkt, with an in-depth view of the top 10.
1
Jack Grealish
£100m
Man City
2021
2
Jhon Duran
£64m
Al-Nassr
2025
3
Moussa Diaby
£50m
Al-Ittihad
2024
4
Douglas Luiz
£42.35m
Juventus
2024
5
Christian Benteke
£32.5m
Liverpool
2015
6
James Milner
£26m
Man City
2010
=7
Carney Chukwuemeka
£20m
Chelsea
2022
=7
Stewart Downing
£20m
Liverpool
2011
=7
Jaden Philogene
£20m
Ipswich Town
2025
10
Cameron Archer
£18m
Sheffield Utd
2023
11
Ashley Young
£17m
Man Utd
2011
=12
Cameron Archer
£15m
Southampton
2024
=12
Danny Ings
£15m
West Ham
2023
=12
Matt Targett
£15m
Newcastle
2022
15
Dwight Yorke
£12.6m
Man Utd
1998
16
Gareth Barry
£12m
Man City
2009
17
Diego Carlos
£10m
Fenerbahce
2025
18
Tim Iroegbunam
£9m
Everton
2024
19
Jordan Amavi
£8.9m
Marseille
2017
=20
Fabian Delph
£8m
Man City
2015
=20
Ugo Ehiogu
£8m
Middlesbrough
2000
Here's a detailed look at Aston Villa's top 10 sales… 10 Cameron Archer £18m to Sheffield Utd, 2023
The first time Aston Villa sold Cameron Archer was in 2023 to newly promoted Sheffield United. Archer had a respectable campaign at Bramall Lane which resulted in Villa activating a buy-back clause in 2024, only to sell him again months later.
The Blades shelled out £18m to sign the forward, with their subsequent relegation perhaps playing a part once Villa sensed they could get some more money for him, with play-off winners Southampton the latest beneficiary.
9 Jaden Philogene £20m to Ipswich, 2025
Jaden Philogene swapped Villa Park for Portman Road in January 2025, looking to help keep Ipswich Town in the Premier League.
The Villa academy graduate had loan spells at Stoke City, Cardiff City, and Hull City in the Championship before the club cashed in.
8 Carney Chukwuemeka £20m to Chelsea, 2022
Young midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka starred for a brief period of time in the Aston Villa first team after coming through the academy.
Chukwuemeka’s impressive performances caught the eye of Chelsea, who added the midfielder to their growing list of young signings in 2022 for £20m. However, he has already been linked with an exit without making his mark at Stamford Bridge.
7 Stewart Downing £20m to Liverpool, 2011
Stewart Downing was Martin O’Neill’s first signing of the 2009 transfer window and his time at Aston Villa was short and sweet. After two seasons, Liverpool and Kenny Dalglish took Downing to Anfield and the left-winger would spend two years with the Reds.
The Anfield side spent a reported £20m to bring the England international to Merseyside, though the fee has officially remained undisclosed.
6 James Milner £26m to Man City, 2010
Premier League icon James Milner initially joined Aston Villa on loan in 2005 as part of Newcastle’s deal to re-sign Nolberto Solano.
Milner would go on to impress at Villa Park and signed on a permanent basis three years later in 2008, making a total of 126 appearances before signing for Man City in a £26m deal in 2010, from which point he continued to carve out a successful top-flight career.
5 Christian Benteke £32.5m to Liverpool, 2015
Powerful striker Christian Benteke first made his mark in England with Aston Villa after arriving from Genk in 2012, and the Villans would make a huge profit on the Belgian three years later.
It was again Liverpool who came calling and paid an eye-catching £32.5m fee for the forward, though his transfer to Anfield didn’t work out, and he was on the move again 12 months later.
4 Douglas Luiz £42.35m to Juventus, 2024
More recently, central midfielder Douglas Luiz was sold by Aston Villa to Juventus in 2024 after spending five successful years with the club.
A transfer was reportedly worth €50m (£42.35m), with Villa soon taking Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea to the Midlands in return. Amadou Onana has since become his successor at Villa Park.
3 Moussa Diaby £50m to Al-Ittihad, 2024
Another big-money exit in 2024 to help balance the FFP books was Moussa Diaby, who moved to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad for around £50m.
The France international only spent one campaign in England, but his displays were enough for Villa to more or less break even on the fee they paid Bayer Leverkusen a year earlier.
2 Jhon Duran £64m to Al-Nassr, 2025
Jhon Duran was going from strength to strength at Villa Park when the surprise decision was made to sell the Colombia international to Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr in January 2025.
The forward cost Villa just £18m, so a £64m exit represented a huge profit and the chance for Duran to go and play alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
1 Jack Grealish £100m to Man City, 2021
Unsurprisingly top of the list as Aston Villa’s most expensive sale is Jack Grealish, whose £100m move to Manchester City in 2021 was a British record at the time.
The attacking midfielder dazzled in claret and blue in the Championship and the Premier League and departed Villa after making more than 200 games for his boyhood club. His deal as the most expensive between British clubs has since been eclipsed by the likes of Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo.