Aston Villa owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris could be about to personally execute what would be a financial fair play masterstroke.
Through their NSWE group, the pair have owned Villa since 2018. They have overseen promotion to the top flight and now qualification for the Champions League in that time – and their ambitions have soared.
Villa are the jewel in the crown of Edens and Sawiris’ V Sports multi-club network, which also includes Portuguese side Vitoria as well as partnerships with Vissel Kobe in Japan and ZED FC in Egypt.
Now, they are looking to action their biggest takeover yet. And two Brazilian stars could play a key role.
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Philippe Coutinho and Douglas Luiz to star in Vasco takeover?
Edens and Sawiris are exploring the possibility of buying historic Brazilian club Vasco da Gama in a deal that could be worth as much as £261m.
Significantly, Vasco are also in talks to sign academy product Philippe Coutinho from Villa, as reported by TNT Sports Brazil.
That deal would include a loan in the first year with an option to make the move permanent for approximately £5m in 2025.
It was also remove the 32-year-old from Villa’s wage bill, saving Villa an additional £13m over the remaining two years of his contract, taking the total add-back to their FFP standing to £18m.
Another former Vasco player on Villa’s books is Douglas Luiz. Unlike Coutinho, Luiz is very much a part of Unai Emery‘s plans at Villa Park, but he could help Edens and Sawiris with their Vasco takeover efforts too.
The midfielder made 29 appearances for Vasco at the dawn of his career and remains well thought of by supporters.
As well as myriad sporting reasons that Edens and Sawiris are eyeing Vasco, the billionaire duo also want to use the club as a gateway to the lucrative Brazilian commercial market.
Luiz could be a natural ambassador for the V Sports brand either side of the Atlantic, facilitating communication and collaboration between the two clubs.
There is plenty of scope for marketing collaboration, as well as Luiz being a prime example for Vasco fans of the merits of the V Sports group’s ownership model.
What is Villa’s FFP status? Can they spend big this summer?
Even if they can recoup £18m in total for Coutinho, whose time at Villa has been far from a major success, Villa are still in a relatively precarious position with financial fair play.
They took a risk in spending big to break into the Champions League, and while that gamble has undoubtedly paid off, the club will need to stabilise financially before they can make the next big jump.
Some analysis has them as much as £107m over the allowable loss limit of the Premier League’s soon-to-be implement new FFP system.
Even with an additional £60m of income likely to come about as a direct result of qualification for the Champions League, Villa must be cautious in adapting to their new reality.
In terms of their ability to spend in the summer to prepare for an assault on European football’s top prize, it looks as though they will have to sell before they buy.