It’s been reported that interest is building in Aston Villa ace Jacob Ramsey, and that an exit could be an option as we look to balance our books.
The 22-year-old has established himself as a key figure in the Villa side and there is of course a stronger attachment to him given his affiliation with Villa from a young age and having come through our Academy.
READ MORE: How Villa could line up vs Newcastle Utd: Potential bench boost for Emery
Injuries have severely disrupted his season this year as he’s been limited to just 14 appearances thus far, scoring one goal, but as we saw last season under Unai Emery, he has a pivotal role to play for us when fully fit and in form.
However, as reported by The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Newcastle Utd, Tottenham and Bayern Munich are all said to be interested in signing Ramsey, but much will depend on our financial position and ability to keep hold of him.
It’s added that Villa must raise funds before the end of June in order to be compliant with Profit and Sustainability Rules, and so potential offers in excess of £50m could be considered.
Importantly though, he goes on to also note that if Villa decide against cashing in on Ramsey, there are alternative ways in which we can balance our books, with Jhon Duran departing being one potential option to help us get to that point.
While recent history perhaps should have taught us not to get too attached to individual players after the Jack Grealish saga, it’s difficult not to feel disappointed and frustrated by the thought of potentially having to see Ramsey move on for financial reasons.
Hopefully the Villa hierarchy and management can find an alternative route to get to where we need to be for PSR purposes, as losing one of our own, an important piece in Emery’s group and a potential face of the club for years to come, would be a bitter blow.
At this stage, it doesn’t sound as though anything is imminent, and Villa are continuing to be linked with a move for Morgan Rogers from Middlesbrough, in a deal said to be worth around £15m in total.
How that forms part of our strategy on and off the pitch remains to be seen, but ideally that isn’t with the expectation of moving Ramsey on, and we’ll be able to find another way to satisfy PSR criteria without losing him.