Aston Villa given £81m boost after quick-fire Steven Gerrard transfer spree

Aston Villa have been the early front-runners in the transfer market with the club already agreeing deals for three players.

Villa confirmed that Philippe Coutinho had signed permanently from Barcelona earlier this month. Boubacar Kamara was the next deal over the line, arriving as a free agent from Marseille on Monday, just a day after the end of the Premier League.

Sevilla defender Diego Carlos will become the next player to sign on the dotted line, with the two clubs having agreed a £26million deal on Thursday. This transfer business has provided Steven Gerrard’s with a £81million boost, according to Transfermarkt .

The site assesses a player’s market value with Brazilian centre-back Carlos set to become Villa’s prize asset at £40.5million - with the club having paid a fraction of that price. Despite moments of magic Coutinho is believed to roughly match his transfer fee at £18million; while highly-rated Kamara is valued at £22.5million, having arrived for no fee.

Including the club’s business in the January transfer window - Calum Chambers (£10.8million), Lucas Digne (£27million), Robin Olsen (£1.8million) - Steven Gerrard is claimed to have boosted the value of Villa’s squad by a total £120.6million since arriving in November. Overall, Villa’s first team squad is said to be worth £453.15million, with the club’s senior players out on loan also priced at a further £58.41million.

Aside from the new signings, there are several players that were brought under Dean Smith’s tenure that have risen in value, most notably Douglas Luiz (£31.5million), doubling his transfer fee since arriving in 2019. It should be pointed out that Transfermarkt’s values may differ from the club’s own valuations - with Jacob