Inquiry made as Villa face potential crucial decision with PSR in mind

Aston Villa have reportedly received an inquiry from Al Hilal over a potential deal for midfielder Amadou Onana.

The 23-year-old was signed in a big-money move from Everton last summer and went on to make 34 appearances across all competitions, scoring five goals to go with his defensive work and all-round influence in our midfield.

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Injuries disrupted his campaign though as the Belgian international wasn’t able to build on a strong start, while he began to impress again in the latter stages of the season to show that he’s gradually adapted and improved under Unai Emery.

The expectation is that he’ll have a much bigger impact next season having now settled in and established himself, but it appears as though Villa could be forced into making a potentially difficult decision.

According to reporter Sasha Tavolieri, Al Hilal have made an inquiry for Onana, and although no offer has been submitted yet, he notes that early talks are underway between the two clubs.

It’s added that Onana hasn’t ruled anything out as of yet, and so it will be interesting to see if a possible sale in the coming weeks would be seen as an effective way to deal with our PSR concerns and fund our own spending this summer.

Villa have competition and depth in that department with the likes of Youri Tielemans, Boubacar Kamara and Ross Barkley all vying for a starting berth, while Enzo Barrenechea will return to the club this summer after an impressive loan stint at Valencia.

In turn, it’s likely that we will move on one of our midfield options and now based on these latest reports, it could be Onana who is sacrificed to ensure we avoid a PSR breach, and furthermore, allow us to reinvest what’s left after balancing the books on new signings of our own.

Given his impact last season, his ability to offer a long-term solution in midfield and with plenty of room for improvement still under Emery, it would be such a shame to see Onana depart. However, Villa ultimately have to make a difficult decision before the end of June as we’re expected to approve sales to remain compliant with PSR and UEFA’s financial rules.

Much will be out of our hands in terms of where the interest comes from and in which player before June 30, and so while there might be a more ideal solution in the coming weeks that we’ll push for, ultimately if suitable offers don’t arrive for others, we could be in a situation where we’re forced to sacrifice someone like Onana if the interest from Saudi Arabia is serious and a deal can be done within the necessary timeframe.