Aston Villa have signed Japanese goalkeeper, Zion Suzuki from Parma for £30m.
Suzuki’s move to Villa came after a successful FIFA World Cup campaign saw him make 12 saves against 17 total shots on target from Netherlands, Tunisia, Sweden and Brazil, as Japan exited at the Round of 32 stage after a late defeat to Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil.
PSG subsequently attempted to sign him but the transfer collapsed which allowed Villa to swoop in with a matching offer worth £30m, which consisted of a £25.7m fixed fee plus a further £4.3m in add-ons.
Suzuki has signed a five-year contract at Villa until June 2031.
The 23-year-old began his career at Urawa Red Diamonds where he kept five clean sheets in 29 appearances between 2021-23, during which he helped them win the AFC Championship and Japanese Super Cup in 2022 plus 2021 Emperor’s Cup.
August 2023 saw Suzuki join Belgium’s Sint-Truiden on loan and kept six clean sheets in 32 appearances, which led the club to sign him permanently the following summer, before Parma swiftly signed him shortly after completion of the transfer in July 2024.
Across his two seasons at Parma, Suzuki kept 12 clean sheet in 59 total appearances.
At international level, Suzuki represents Japan and has achieved 16 clean sheets in 28 senior caps plus was part of their title-winning EAFF E-1 Football Championship squad in 2022.
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