Aston Villa may need to sell some players this summer in order to make purchases to avoid breaching Financial Fair Play.
Aston Villa have their sights set on securing Champions League football this season, as the Villans continue to soar under Unai Emery.
Sitting in the top four after 25 games played, things are looking good for the Midlands club who currently lead the race for 4th place ahead of Spurs and Manchester United.
The highs achieved by this group of players so far are admirable however, reality could hit in the summer if the club wish to expand their squad in the transfer window.
The 2024/25 season marks the lifting of the £100m blanket that the sale of Jack Grealish has given Villa in relation to Financial Fair Play (FFP), meaning that sales will be needed to balance the books for purchases.
Luckily, Emery has “assets across the whole team” according to journalist Jacob Townley via the Claret & Blue podcast, with the potential there for the club to raise funds.
While it would be difficult to imagine Villa parting ways with any of the tight-knit squad, here are five players that the Villans could sell to generate profit.
Five players that Aston Villa could sell to solve FFP problems
Jacob Ramsey
After excelling under both Steven Gerrard and Emery, academy graduate Jacob Ramsey could provide Villa with a similar sale to that of Grealish’s departure, handing the club a significant profit.
Earlier this year, journalist Dean Jones told GIVEMESPORT that “anything over £50m” could convince the Midlands side to part ways with the Englishman, who was once dubbed a “special player” by U23 scout Antonio Mango.
In January, The Athletic reported that both Spurs and Bayern Munich were admirers of the 22-year-old, suggesting the calibre of club and price Villa could get for the Bodymoor Heath product.
Douglas Luiz
The sale that no one could bear to imagine happening, Douglas Luiz is undoubtedly one of Villa’s most lucrative assets.
The Brazilian was previously on the wish list of Arsenal, who had three bids rejected for the midfielder, with signs suggesting that Mikel Arteta may try his luck once more.
It’s believed by football.london that the 25-year-old would be a perfect match for the Gunners, who could offer Villa a significant price for the Brazil international if their £105m purchase of Declan Rice is anything to go by.
While selling Luiz could generate a magnitude of profit at Villa Park, the question will be whether he is replaceable, with his contribution in the engine room consistently praised.
Emiliano Buendia
Another source of revenue could be the sale of Emiliano Buendia, who could have a difficult time finding his way back into Emery’s plans when he returns from injury.
After an explosive pre-season, the Argentine looked set to finally show his full potential in his third season at Villa, although an ACL injury prior to the start of the campaign left his hopes shattered.
The issue that the 27-year-old now faces is finding his role in Emery’s set-up, with the likes of Youri Tielemans, Leon Bailey, John McGinn and Moussa Diaby arguably ahead of him in the pecking order.
Having only scored nine goals in 78 appearances since making the move from Norwich City in 2021, the price that the Villans could get for Buendia is difficult to estimate.
Ezri Konsa
After building a solid foundation in defence, it would be strange for Emery to sell a player like Ezri Konsa, although there is a belief that the defender could go for a significant price.
Speaking on the Claret & Blue podcast, journalist John Townley explained that the Englishman is “surely a £60m player”, providing Villa with another prized asset.
It was only last year that Konsa penned a five-year deal with the Villans, however, he was previously eyed by Liverpool according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, reinforcing that the interest could be there.
Jhon Duran
In January, Villa striker Jhon Duran was said to be of interest to both AC Milan and Inter Milan.
The Colombian was only purchased in January 2023 however, he faces a difficult challenge in becoming a starter in Emery’s squad any time soon due to the prominence of Ollie Watkins.
If the right interest comes for the right price, there could be a conversation to be had in the summer if the forward wishes to spread his wings and fight to be another club’s first choice.
