Aston Villa have agreed a deal to sign Nice forward Evann Guessand. The Ivorian international will sign a five-year-deal with a medical set to take place today. Villa are expected to pay an initial £22 million which will rise to £30 million when all potential add-ons are included.
🚨🟣🔵 Evann Guessand to Aston Villa, here we go! Verbal agreement in place after €30m plus €5m add-ons bid accepted.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 5, 2025
OGC Nice authorized Guessand to travel for medical and contract signing as next steps. New striker for Unai Emery. pic.twitter.com/hYPZxPdKCB
Guessand has been subject to interest this summer from a host of clubs in the Premier League and Europe, including Crystal Palace, Wolves, West Ham and Tottenham. He has already rejected a move to Saudi Arabian side Neom FC as his heart is set on a move to the Premier League. It now looks like the Villans are set to win the race for the forward, who has been likened to Didier Drogba.
The Atheltic reported that Guessand was among a list of forward options Villa wanted to sign in January of this year, but it was decided that the 24-year-old would stay at Nice until the end of the season.
Villa have had a quiet transfer window so far, largely due to financial restrictions in the Premier League and Europe inhibiting their ability to spend big. Dutch goalkeeper Marco Bizot has been the only senior signing this summer, replacing Robin Olsen as backup to Emiliano Martinez.
Perfect Profile for Unai Emery
Evann Guessand is a young, versatile forward who fits the profile that manager Unai Emery is looking for in his Villa attack. Capable of playing anywhere across the front three, Guessand would provide quality depth that Villa have been looking for following Marcus Rashford's loan finishing.
Evann Guessand compared with Ollie Watkins #AVFC pic.twitter.com/1R0EGYHSfu
— Aston Villa Statto (@AVFCStatto) August 5, 2025
Born in Ajaccio, Guessand represented France at youth level before opting to switch to Ivory Coast in 2023. He climbed through Nice's academy before making his Ligue 1 debut against Lens in August 2020. Guessand enjoyed loan spells at Lausanne in the 20/21 season, scoring 7 goals in 35 games and Nantes in the 22/23 season where he scored 5 goals in 44 games. But it was last season, where he began to catch the attention of many clubs, scoring 12 goals and 8 assists in 33 games in the French league.
Villa's quality attack has another young, talented player on their hands, with Emery hoping Guessand can make an instant impact when they play Newcastle in ten days time. The Ivorian will likely only have one pre-season game to embed himself in the Villa team, with two games in two days taking place this weekend. Supporters will be excited by the prospect of Guessand linking up with Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers as they look for a chance to see their club win some silverware and return to the Champions League.
