AS Roma have confirmed the signing of Aston Villa forward Leon Bailey on loan for the 2025/26 season with an option to buy at the end of the season included in the winger’s deal.
The 28-year-old, who extended his Villa contract in February 2024 until 2027, becomes the first Jamaican to represent the Giallorossi.
He links up with the Serie A side after four years in the Premier League, following earlier spells at Genk and Bayer Leverkusen.
Bailey joined Villa in 2021 for £25m and has since made 110 top-flight appearances, producing 16 goals and 17 assists.
The forward hasn’t quite found his best form of late though, with his only standout campaign coming in 2023/24, when he scored 10 goals and set up nine more to help Unai Emery’s side qualify for the Champions League.
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New Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini will be hoping that Bailey hits the ground running, with the forward reportedly already training with his new side.
Roma have been quite busy in the market and Bailey already marks their second Premier League arrival on loan this summer, after Brighton striker Evan Ferguson.
They have also secured deals for Neil El Aynaoui, Wesley Franca and Daniele Ghilardi.
What does this mean for Aston Villa?
Villa’s transfer business has perhaps been more restrained than many fans expected, with the summer leaving a lot to be desired for Emery.
After loans for forwards Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio were not made permanent, Villa signed striker Evann Guessand from Nice for a fee in the region of £30m.
They have also brought in centre-back Yasin Ozcan from the Turkish Super Lig for around £7m, though the youngster has been promptly loaned out to Anderlecht to get some minutes under his belt.
Time to train 📋 pic.twitter.com/vBCIsdPanw
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) August 20, 2025
But the biggest activity has come in the form of outgoings, with midfield linchpin Jacob Ramsey recently sealing a £45m move to Newcastle United, leaving a significant gap in the squad.
With Ramsey gone and Villa having a decent bit of money to reinvest, many fans will be hoping Emery gets some improvements to the squad ahead of what is certain to be a daunting league campaign.
Sky Sports reported on Wednesday (August 20) that Villa are weighing up a move for Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson, who previously worked with Emery at Villarreal.
The 24-year-old is said to be considering his options this summer, with Newcastle also monitoring the situation, amidst an impasse with Alexander Isak.
The Magpies have also sent an improved bid for Brentford striker Yoane Wissa, which if accepted, could open the door for Villa to move in on Jackson before the window shuts on September 1.
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