Aston Villa are to be fined for breaking European squad cost rules - and their aim this summer will be to prevent another breach
Unai Emery, manager of Aston Villa
Problems? Villa boss Unai Emery(Image: The FA via Getty Images)
Aston Villa will be in the market for “high-potential, lower-cost players” this summer as they look to comply with UEFA’s tough squad cost limits.
Rules laid down by European football’s governing body say clubs cannot pay more than 80 per cent of their agreed revenue on player wages, transfers and agents fees, a figure that will fall to 70 per cent next season.
With Villa already in talks with UEFA over the fine they will face for breaching the regulations in 2023/24 - an outcome is expected some time this month - they are keen to avoid doing so again when more severe penalties could come into play.
As such, the Athletic claims UEFA’s Squad Cost Rules are arguably an even bigger headache for the club right now than complying with the Premier League’s own stringent financial regulations, which saw them offload several big-name, high cost players last summer, like Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby.
While domestic profitability and sustainability rules remain a concern, failure to qualify for Champions League football for a second successive season, and the potential £100m hit it could mean, will only become an issue for Villa next summer at the end of the next rolling three-year accounting period.
As such, the more urgent need now is to show the door to big earners, like goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and France international full-back Lucas Digne.
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The Athletic adds: “Villa have a lot of saleable assets. Martinez’s exit could solve the most headaches, with the Argentina No 1 fetching a sizeable fee. He is the highest earner of any permanent player and would alleviate PSR and UEFA SCR concerns.
“Digne is another option. Villa would not receive a huge fee for the left-back, but he is on £120,000 a week and has 12 months left on his contract.”
It is understood that Villa have yet to receive any formal interest in Martinez while they delayed talks over extending Digne’s current deal until knowing which European competition they would be playing in next season. Neither player is being forced out.
In assessing Villa’s summer approach, the Athletic explains: “Villa’s scouting team have planned for a multitude of scenarios - including what players replace certain departures.
“Villa are likely to be shopping for a lower tier of player, in a transfer fee and salary sense. This does not suggest players are second, third and maybe fourth options, it means the recruitment team will have to be cannier in spotting high-potential, lower-cost players.”
Other players who could move on include Leon Bailey, who has interest from Saudi clubs, Philippe Coutinho, who still has a year left on a contract Villa are keen to cancel, Emiliano Buendia, who has been on loan at Bayer Leverkusen but will not be returning to the Bundesliga club, and Leander Dendoncker, also on loan, in his case at Anderlecht, but again with no prospect of a permanent deal.
Another potential exit, and arguably the most intriguing of the lot, involves Ollie Watkins.
The Athletic says: “PSR means Villa cannot carry multiple top-level players for one spot. They accepted they had to sell Jhon Duran or Watkins in January, and although the former ended up leaving they were not opposed to the latter departing.
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“This is pertinent this summer, with Watkins expecting clarity on his future. Arsenal are monitoring his situation.”