UEFA imposed a transfer sanction on Aston Villa and Chelsea last week
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery(Image: UEFA via Getty Images)
Aston Villa are comfortable with the restrictions UEFA has placed on them as a result of breaching financial regulations.
The club has been fined €5 million for failing to comply with football earnings rules and an additional €6 million for breaching squad cost rules (SCR). The football earnings period covers the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons, while the SCR is assessed based on the 2024 calendar year.
Villa must meet financial targets and a final target imposed by UEFA which by 2028 will see them fully compliant with the football earnings rule, which permits losses of up to €60 million over the three-year period.
Villa have also been warned they face a conditional fine of €5 million per year for the next three years for any breach of a target which is less than €20 million in excess of the agreed limits.
More importantly, the agreement also includes serious sporting sanctions if they were to breach the limits too much
If Villa were to exceed any of their agreed financial targets by more than €20 million, they would face a ban from the next UEFA competition for which they qualify.
Additionally, Villa may not register any new player on their UEFA List A for club competitions unless the transfer balance is positive.
This condition applies unconditionally in the 2025/26 season and again in 2026/27 if Villa records a Football Earnings deficit in the 2025 reporting period.
But what does that mean and how will it actually impact the club this summer?
UEFA defines 'transfer balance' as the difference between cost savings from outgoing players and the new costs from incoming players at the time of the club’s List A submission. In simple terms, any spending to add players to Villa's UEFA List A squad must be offset by the income generated from player departures.
This summer, Villa’s Champions League knockout stage List A squad will serve as the benchmark.
Already, Villa are expected to register Donyell Malen and likely Andrés García, along with new signings, all of which count as new 'incomings' in financial terms.
The cost of registering a new player includes both salary and the amortised transfer fee, which is spread across the length of the player’s contract. However, UEFA does not accept contracts longer than five years - a rule introduced in 2023.
Chelsea, who face a similar punishment but for a fixed two-year period, are reported by The Times to need over £60 million to register several new players, but should have no issue finding that money after selling Noni Madueke to Arsenal.
The Blues have already signed Liam Delap, João Pedro, and Jamie Gittens, while Estêvão Willian, Dario Essugo, Andrey Santos, Mamadou Sarr, and Mike Penders may also need to be registered. Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana, who were not included in their most recent List A squad, are other considerations.
For Villa, Unai Emery will be looking to replace all three loanees - Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio, and Axel Disasi - who have returned to their parent clubs. Rashford and Asensio, in particular, were on high wages, which is one reason the club does not see UEFA’s sanctions as a major issue.
The club have been working behind the scenes to sign two new goalkeepers. Emi Martínez is open to a new challenge this summer, and Robin Olsen's contract has expired.
Stade Brest's Marco Bizot is expected to become Villa's second summer arrival after Zépiqueno Redmond joined on a free transfer on July 1.
These sanctions do not affect Villa’s long-term ambitions or their broader project to consistently compete at both domestic and European levels - a strategy established years ago by owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens.
Villa plan to reduce their wage bill but remain confident that Emery’s squad will stay competitive next season. Philippe Coutinho’s wages were removed from the books last week following his permanent move to Vasco da Gama. Additionally, Olsen and Kortney Hause have departed the club after their contracts expired.
Kosta Nedeljković, Emi Buendía, and Alex Moreno are also expected to leave, further lowering the wage bill.
A major sale - possibly involving Martínez, one of the club’s top earners who turns 33 later this year - could still happen. However, Villa are not planning a fire sale.