Aston Villa finalising sale of defender Sil Swinkels to Sheffield Wednesday

Aston Villa are finalising an agreement to sell defender Sil Swinkels to Sheffield Wednesday.

The 22-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Exeter City and Chesterfield, having experienced his first move away to Bristol Rovers in the 2024-25 campaign, is expected to join the League One club for an undisclosed fee.

The two clubs are finalising the payment structure of the deal, with Swinkels intending to travel to complete his medical in the next 48 hours.

As part of the agreement, Villa have inserted matching rights, meaning they have to be notified and retain the opportunity to match any future offers that come into Sheffield Wednesday for Swinkels.

Should the deal be completed as is expected, Sheffield Wednesday would have won the race to sign Swinkels ahead of other sides in the EFL and clubs in Belgium, France and the Netherlands.

Swinkels joined Villa from Vitesse Arnhem in 2020 in a deal worth £180,000 ($237,548; €208,696) and made two senior appearances, with his debut coming in the covid-hit FA Cup tie against Liverpool in 2021. The left-footed player then started Villa’s Carabao Cup victory against Wycombe Wanderers in 2024, having missed the previous season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

The Dutch defender was scouted by Villa’s recruitment staff on the same day they watched Lamare Bogarde at Feyenoord during a trip to the Netherlands.

Swinkels signed a new long term contract in 2025, with manager Unai Emery fond of his ability to play out from defence. As a sign of his standing, Swinkels was involved in several analysis sessions with Emery’s staff during his spell on the sidelines, with his recovery from injury led by a physio who serves as a bridge between the academy and the first team. There is a view that the Dutch defender, 20, is comparable with Pau Torres as he is left-footed.

Meanwhile, Villa’s players who spent last season on loan will return to Bodymoor Heath on Friday ahead of starting their pre-season.