Aston Villa could sell young star to avoid points deduction - Stefan Borson
Aston Villa could be forced to sell a young player before the end of June to avoid breaching the profit and sustainability rules (PSR).
That is the view of finance expert Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider it will depend on how far the West Midlands giants progress in the Champions League and where they finish in the Premier League table this season.
Villa were believed to be close to the PSR limit last season, with top-flight clubs only permitted to lose £105million over a rolling three-year period.
Douglas Luiz, Tim Iroegbunam and Omari Kellyman were all sold ahead of the 30 June accounting deadline to ensure the club didn’t break the spending rules.
Villa currently sit eighth in the Premier League and are on course to qualify for the knockout rounds of the Champions League due to their fifth-place position in the competition's revamped league phase.
The Athletic reported on 2 January Unai Emery’s side are in talks with Borussia Dortmund to sign Donyell Malen in January.
They have made an offer for the Dutch forward worth around £15million, which falls below the Bundesliga giants’ valuation.
Aston Villa could avoid PSR breach with on-field performances
Borson suggested Villa could be looking to strengthen their squad in January as part of their plan to avoid having to sell a player at the end of the season.
“I don’t think the Malen deal tells you anything about their overall financial position,” Borson told Football Insider.
“I think they will probably have to sell a player in June or certainly look to sell a young player in June, depending on where they finish in the Premier League.
“It will also depend on where they finish in the Champions League.
“It could be that they get themselves into a very good position in the Champions League.
“Each round that goes by is a very significant amount of money.
“It could be their plan is to strengthen their squad sufficiently, get quite a long way in the Champions League, and finish two or three places higher in the Premier League than they already are.
“Maybe that’s their plan to avoid having to sell a player.
“But they are going to be quite close on PSR for the current season.”
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