Aston Villa are preparing for a busy summer following a season in which they secured a spot in the Champions League.
Unai Emery oversaw a fine campaign as he guided Aston Villa to a fourth place Premier League finish as well as a run to the semi-final of the Europa Conference League.
Now, The Villans must prepare for their first season in Europe’s elite club competition in 41 years and this is likely to mean the club look to bring in a higher calibre of player ready to compete on all fronts.
However, despite qualifying for the Champions League, Villa find themselves in a slightly precarious position in terms of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules and are at risk of breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations (PSR).
With that in mind, the club are likely to have to make a big sale this summer to balance the books before they can bring in the kind of marquee signings that will boost their European hopes.
Jacob Ramsey linked with Aston Villa exit for FFP reasons
One player that could be sold in order to do this is 22-year-old Jacob Ramsey.
The young midfielder only started eight Premier League games this season as injuries disrupted his campaign but is highly rated at both Villa Park and elsewhere.
Ramsey came through the youth setup at Villa and this makes selling him attractive when it comes to staying within FFP and PSR rules.
That is because, as Villa have never paid a fee for Ramsey, any sale represents pure profit in accounting terms and is widely seen as the best way to ensure safety from breaking the rules.
Manchester City have been using this as a model successfully for years, selling a number of young academy talents such as Eric Garcia, Jadon Sancho and Cole Palmer to help them spend on players to come into their first-team
Ramsey’s age, coupled with his obvious talents, mean that Villa could expect to secure a large fee for the England under-21 international, with reports that the midlands club value their asset at around £50 million.
Aston Villa must resist temptation to sell Ramsey
The fact that the likes of Liverpool and Bayern Munich have been reported to hold an interest in signing Ramsey show just how much potential the youngster has.
Despite the fact that he is one of Villa’s most valuable players – particularly with the pure profit element considered – the club must resist the urge to sell Ramsey for any price.
Ramsey’s place in the senior side is a beacon of hope for players progressing through the club’s youth system, having made the same journey himself to play for his boyhood club.
With the recent departures of fellow academy graduates Carney Chukwuemeka, Jaden Philogene and Cameron Archer – who is now set to return in a move that hinders Villa in PSR terms – the club cannot afford to let another of their bright young talents leave for the sake of FFP.
The message this would send to any young player hoping to make the grade at Villa Park could be damning.
Therefore, Villa should instead focus their efforts on offloading two or three alternative players to ease their financial pressures, with the likes of Diego Carlos, Calum Chambers, Leander Dendoncker and Philippe Coutinho all examples.
Manager Unai Emery understands the pressure the club are under, but expressed his desire to keep hold of Ramsey in January, saying: “Jacob Ramsey is a very important player. He grew up here in the academy. His progression is clear and getting better. I want to keep him here with us.
“Teams maybe involved in the possibility to sign him, because he has big potential with Aston Villa and England, 100 per cent.”
The sale of a local lad who has real potential is unlikely to go down too well amongst the Villa fanbase either, so it really should be a last resort.
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