Aston Villa will have several areas of Unai Emery's team to strengthen this summer
Aston Villa have a big summer window on their hands
Aston Villa have a big summer window on their hands
Another important summer window is well underway for Aston Villa, whose pre-season programme begins next week.
Villa’s first pre-season game is a trip to Walsall, before Unai Emery’s side heads to Germany a few days later, followed by a third consecutive tour of the USA.
The new Premier League campaign kicks off at home against Newcastle on Saturday, August 16, and by then Emery will hope to have most of his transfer business completed.
Ideally, new players will arrive before Villa fly out to the States, but this summer there's a sharp focus on moving players out.
Complying with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) is one challenge; meeting UEFA’s Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) regulations is another. Monchi faces the task of reducing the club’s wage bill by 10% this summer and again next summer.
With that in mind, the likes of Emi Martínez and Lucas Digne could depart in the coming weeks, as both are among the squad’s highest earners.
Martínez turns 33 later this year and Digne turns 32 this month. With the latter entering the final year of his contract, this window likely represents the last opportunity to secure a transfer fee for the Frenchman.
Martínez, meanwhile, is open to starting a new chapter in his career and could join Atlético Madrid - if they sell Jan Oblak. A move to Manchester United appears unlikely, as André Onana is expected to remain at Old Trafford.
Should Martínez leave, Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier would be a strong candidate to replace him.
Valued at around £40m, the 23-year-old is already regarded as one of the best in Ligue 1 and is seen as a long-term contender for France’s number one spot.
Signing Chevalier would significantly lower the average age of Villa’s starting XI and help reduce the wage bill.
He kept the most clean sheets in Ligue 1 last season and posted a post-shot expected goals minus goals allowed (PSxG-GA) value of +7.2 - a stat that reflects how many goals a goalkeeper prevented.
For comparison, only eight goalkeepers in Europe’s top five leagues recorded a better PSxG-GA score than Chevalier. Martínez’s best score at Villa was +6.6 in the 2023/24 season.
Villa will also need to recruit a back-up goalkeeper after Robin Olsen joined Malmö following the expiration of his contract.
At left-back, Maxim De Cuyper - who scored against Villa in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg at the Jan Breydel Stadium - would be an ideal replacement for Digne.
De Cuyper impressed again in Club Brugge’s 1-0 win over Villa during the league phase and likely caught the eye. The 24-year-old would be a solid option, provided AC Milan - who are reportedly eyeing him as a replacement for Theo Hernandez, set to join Al-Hilal - don’t move first.
Last season, De Cuyper recorded the second-most goal-creating actions (17) and crosses (194) in Belgium, and ranked fourth for passes into the penalty area (60).
However, it appears De Cuyper is heading to Brighton after they agreed a fee with Brugge to sign the full-back.
With Axel Disasi having returned to Chelsea after a short loan, Emery must also strengthen at centre-back to provide competition for Ezri Konsa.
Cristhian Mosquera was a known target and would have been a brilliant addition, but Arsenal appear to be closing in on a deal to bring him to Mikel Arteta’s squad.
Villa’s reported interest in Jaydee Canvot is intriguing. He has the profile to thrive in the Premier League, but at just 18 years old, whether he’s ready for top-flight football is another matter.
Genoa’s Koni De Winter could also be an option to replace Disasi. The 24-year-old is starting to attract attention from several Premier League clubs.
Crystal Palace are reportedly interested, and Tottenham have also been monitoring him. With three years left on his contract, the Belgian international is said to be valued at around £25m.
Like Konsa, De Winter can play at right-back and is more dominant in the air - winning 69% of his 108 aerial duels last season.
Villa will also need to replace Leon Bailey if he departs this summer. Interest is coming from Saudi Arabia and several European clubs.
Johan Bakayoko could be a strong candidate, especially given he’s entering the final year of his contract and could be available for around £20m.
The 22-year-old contributed 21 goals and assists in 33 league games for PSV in 2023/24, although that dropped to 10 last season. Still, he scored in PSV’s Champions League win over Liverpool during the group stage.
Another option could be Dilane Bakwa, also 22, who had an impressive campaign with Strasbourg last season.
He scored six goals and provided nine assists in 30 Ligue 1 games - not earth-shattering numbers, but his underlying stats were excellent.
Among Ligue 1 players, he ranked in the top 10 for goal-creating actions, shot-creating actions, successful take-ons, progressive carries, carries into the penalty area, crosses, and fouls drawn.
While Villa are focused on reducing their wage bill, a move for Marco Asensio now appears more complicated than initially expected.
Morgan Rogers, who played his best football centrally, could take over that role from the Spaniard. Replacing both Asensio and Marcus Rashford (if needed) may be possible in the first half of the season.
Should the need arise, Villa could bring in another attacker - alongside a new playmaker and right winger - after completing the first half of their Premier League campaign and six of their eight Europa League group games.
Monaco’s Eliesse Ben Seghir could compete with Jacob Ramsey on the left and also operate as a number 10.
At 22, Ben Seghir would further reduce the squad’s average age and command a lower wage than Asensio.
With two years remaining on his Monaco contract, he is reportedly valued at around £25m.
In Villa’s 1-0 defeat to Monaco in the Champions League, Ben Seghir created two chances in what was a largely uneventful game.
Drifting in from the left, he ranked fifth in Ligue 1 for through balls and featured in the top 10 for fouls drawn and total shots per 90 minutes.
Among all players with more than a few starts in Ligue 1, only Ousmane Dembélé registered more carries into the final third per 90 (4.53 vs. Ben Seghir’s 4.28).
His shot-creating actions per 90 (4.0) are also comparable to PSG’s Bradley Barcola.