Aston Villa face another month of PSR-related headaches in June, and a list of potential players who could be sold has been touted to settle those concerns.
In addition to having to balance our books and avoid breaching the PSR [Profit and Sustainability Rules] threshold for losses allowed, Villa also have to lower our wage bill to ensure we comply with UEFA’s SCR [Squad Cost Ratio] regulations.
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With a financial end-of-year deadline on June 30, the club’s primary focus in the coming weeks will be on outgoings to address those issues, and so Unai Emery, in conjunction with Monchi and the management team, will no doubt be tirelessly planning and strategising how best to satisfy the criteria while also trying to strengthen the squad for next season.
According to The Athletic, there are a number of candidates who stand out as potential player sales to raise funds not only to ensure we’re compliant with PSR and SCR, but also to fund our own signings this summer, with Emiliano Martinez seemingly near the top of the list given his likely transfer fee, while wiping his salary off the bill would make a significant difference. That said, it’s noted there is no formal interest in the Argentine shot-stopper as of yet.
It’s added that Lucas Digne comes into the same bracket given he’s one of the top earners at the club and has just 12 months remaining on his current deal, and particularly with Ian Maatsen pushing to step in and replace him as our first-choice left-back next season, the Frenchman is arguably the top contender to be sold, provided that there is interest and suitable offers are on the table.
Leon Bailey is said to be attracting interest from Saudi Arabia, and after a difficult season for the Villa winger in which he struggled with injuries and loss of form, he would be another sensible sacrifice this month if a deal can be done, as Villa would be balancing our books while opening up a path for Donyell Malen to perhaps play a more prominent role on our right side next season.
There are still question marks over a number of Villa players based on their contract situations or perhaps the level of interest that they would likely attract if they were available this summer, but there are undoubtedly more obvious options to cut if possible, and that list includes Philippe Coutinho and Leander Dendoncker.
With their respective loan spells coming to an end this month, it’s hoped a permanent solution can be found to offload the pair, as that would certainly make a big difference to our wage bill at least as it’s unlikely that they will command significant transfer fees at this stage.
Kaine Kesler-Hayden and Enzo Barrenechea are also mentioned as possible options to move on, with their age, potential and the promise that they showed last season all likely to attract interested parties, and so they could be sold.
There are likely to be a lot of moving pieces at Villa this month and for the remainder of the summer, and it’s hoped that it starts with the necessary exits materialising without severely weakening us, as Emery, Monchi and the rest of the team will be confident in their ability to continue to identify replacements and maintain our competitive level.
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