Aston Villa have made a number of high-profile signings throughout their history, with Dwight Yorke, Juan Pablo Angel and Philippe Coutinho among the most famous names to have graced the turf at Villa Park.
Given their reputation and establishment as a consistent Premier League outfit, the Villans have attracted their fair share of renowned superstars from around the globe, but not every deal has been concluded.
Ahead of the summer transfer window, which will inevitably mean more rumours circulating online and a list of players linked with the club, BirminghamWorld has been looking back in time at moves that weren’t quite pulled off.
With that in mind, here are nine players who were on the verge of joining Villa but failed to put pen to paper - and the reasons the transfers never happened.
9. Frank Lampard - 2001
Everyone knows ‘Super Frank’ as a Chelsea legend but he nearly didn’t go there at all, as Villa were in the fight to sign him from West Ham back in 2001. The Villans bid £7.5 million but Chelsea pitched £11 million. John Gregory was keen to match this but it took up too much of the budget. | Getty Images
10. Juninho - 1999
Becoming out of favour at Atletico Madrid, the Brazilian, who played for Middlesbrough earlier in his career, wanted a Premier League return. The Guardian claimed at the time that Juninho was closing on a move to Villa after a £10 million fee was agreed, but it never materialised as he went back to Boro on loan instead. | Getty Images