It’s officially June which means the summer transfer window officially opens this month.
In fairness to Aston Villa, they’ve proved they don’t even need the windows as they’ve been going about their business already - but if you thought things had been busy up to now for the claret and blue - expect it to go up another level over the next few weeks.
As it stands, Villa have around 28 first team players on their books and that’s without the inclusion of latest permanent additions, Philippe Coutinho, Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos.
Steven Gerrard will only be able to name a squad of 25 for Premier League matches next season so cuts will need to happen as we progress through summer.
Which players could actually leave Villa Park, though?
With ambitions of bringing European football back to the home of the claret and blue, there will have to be some big and maybe even ruthless decisions made by Gerrard in this window and beyond.
BirminghamWorld have looked through all of Villa’s first team squad and assessed which ones could potentially leave the club in the near future.
Each player has been ranked and rated based on how likely they are to depart the club, whether it be on loan or permanently.
1. Matt Targett - Very likely
Targett left Villa Park on loan in January after he could no longer be guaranteed first team football and with that extremely unlikely to change - he’s almost certainly going to be on his way this summer. Photo: Naomi Baker
2. Jed Steer - Very likely
With Robin Olsen looking set to return to Villa on a permanent deal, this opens up the door for Steer to exit. He’s still got a year left on his deal so it could be a year loan until it expires - all dependent on the other club. Photo: Tony Marshall
3. Conor Hourihane - Very likely
Hourihane’s Villa contract expires at the end of June and he will likely return to Sheffield United - where he spent last season on loan - on a permanent deal. Photo: Getty Images
4. Anwar El Ghazi - Very likely
El Ghazi still has a year left on his contract at Villa Park but he’s not in Steven Gerrard’s plans - he will be gone one way or another.