Newcastle United are hoping to get a deal for Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey over the line ahead of their first game of the Premier League season.
The Magpies are eager to make the most of what time is left in the summer transfer window, and are now working on yet another deal less than a day after confirming the signing of Malick Thiaw.
Eddie Howe has confirmed he wants to sign a midfielder, a position that is lacking in depth following Sean Longstaff’s exit. The search has taken them to Aston Villa ace Jacob Ramsey.
The 24-year-old was a regular starter in Unai Emery’s side last season, playing in some crucial games in the Premier League and Champions League.
Newcastle United are hoping that a fee of £40million will be enough to sign Ramsey, who could be sold due to Villa’s ongoing PSR concerns. Villa have little wiggle room with PSR or UEFA’s squad cost rules, so they may be forced to sell before they can buy again.
To learn more about the finances involved in the deal for Ramsey, Geordie Boot Boys spoke to Adam Williams, Head of Finance and Football Content.
Jacob Ramsey with the ball during a Premier League game between Aston Villa and Burnley.
Photo by Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images
Aston Villa told Jacob Ramsey sale to Newcastle United will ‘significantly help’
Newcastle want to sign Ramsey by Saturday, before their first Premier League game of the season, coincidentally against Villa. However, a lot of work will need to be done before the deal can get over the line.
Thankfully, personal terms should not be an issue between the player and the club, as Ramsey is open to joining Newcastle this summer.
MORE NEWCASTLE STORIES
“Because of their UEFA settlement, Aston Villa are in a position whereby they need to generate money from player sales to get within the squad cost limit,” Williams said when asked why Villa are so keen to let Ramsey go to Newcastle.
“They will probably circumvent Premier League PSR because of the planned women’s team sale, but UEFA doesn’t recognise that transaction in its assessment. Profit on player sales – and ‘pure profit’ of academy-produced players – is recognised by UEFA, however, so Ramsey will help significantly in that regard.
“Most people probably know how the ‘pure profit’ thing works now. Basically, because Villa didn’t pay a fee for Ramsey, he has no book value, so any fee they receive is pure profit. Conversely, if they sold a player for £40m that they signed last season for £50m, they would only break even on the deal as far as PSR is concerned.”
Newcastle United could be forced to sell players to comply with UEFA rules next summer
Last summer saw Newcastle struggle to comply with PSR, but it is a completely different situation in 2025. Despite that, the Magpies have had poor luck in the window, with players rejecting moves in favour of other Premier League clubs.
However, there has still been some success in the transfer window, with three senior players already signed and another, in Ramsey, possibly on the way.
While PSR is one thing, UEFA’s squad cost limits mean Newcastle could be in hot water in the future if more sales are not made.
“For Newcastle, they themselves will probably need to do some work to get within the UEFA limits this calendar year, but it’s not as pressing a concern as Villa are experiencing,” Williams added.
“And significantly, Newcastle are okay as far as Premier League PSR is concerned. Their issues in the transfer market haven’t been because of that – it’s been more a question of their strategy and, supposedly, where PIF’s priorities lie.
“Both Villa and Newcastle did these player swap deals last summer, which, incidentally, UEFA have said they will scrutinise. But those deals helped the profit-and-loss figures in the short term. So it’s not so much a role reversal in that sense, as they both needed to do those deals to get within the PSR limits.
“That said, Newcastle have now got into a position whereby they aren’t being forced into those sales. And strategically, that means they can perhaps take advantage of clubs that need to make adjustments.”