Aston Villa are reportedly close to reaching an agreement on a £12m exit for Aaron Ramsey to Burnley, but any deal is said to include a buy-back clause.
The 20-year-old impressed at youth level for us, playing a key role in our FA Youth Cup success in 2021 before enjoying a productive loan stint at Middlesbrough last season, where he scored five goals and provided one assist in 11 appearances.
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Coupled with his loan experience at Norwich City, it was felt that the next stage of Ramsey’s development would be to push on and secure a place in our senior squad, and he initially featured in our pre-season games before picking up an injury.
According to journalist Alan Nixon though, Villa and Burnley are closing in on an agreement which will see Ramsey join the latter in a £12m move, but there is said to be a buy-back clause included in the deal.
On one hand, it’s disappointing to hear that a top prospect that has come through our youth ranks and is looking to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Jacob, could be about to leave in a permanent deal.
Naturally, it had been hoped that Ramsey could make a breakthrough this year alongside other top young talents at the club, but this report would suggest that the next phase of his career may well be taking him elsewhere.
That said, it’s another important sale in terms of balancing our books and receiving a significant fee for a youth product which is key in relation to FFP regulations, while the buy-back clause is a crucial aspect too as we’ll have the option of bringing Ramsey back if he impresses enough to convince Unai Emery that he has a role to play for us further down the line.
It’s an opportunity for him to play Premier League football, something that he may not get at Villa this season, and while a loan would arguably have been preferable, it’s an important injection of funds that could also enable us to continue to strengthen the squad.
Time will tell if the clubs do indeed reach an agreement now and if Ramsey green lights the move by agreeing on personal terms, but the report above would suggest that things are advancing.