Aston Villa are approaching another pivotal season as Unai Emery seeks to maintain the club’s extraordinary momentum, but several financial issues must first be addressed.
It’s become rather public knowledge now that the Villans must make at least one significant sale - or sanction several other less lucrative exits - to conform to the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR). Clubs in the English top tier must concur losses of no more than £105 million over a three-year period and Villa are currently failing in that regard, so action must be taken.
Some first-team players may be sacrificed to ensure Villa aren’t struck with a financial penalty or worse, a points deduction. Emiliano Martinez and Leon Bailey are among the biggest names linked with transfers away but even the likes of Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne, Jacob Ramsey, Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins aren’t completely safe.
Villa’s president of football operations, Monchi, will be working tirelessly with Emery throughout the coming weeks to reach the best possible solution for the football club, in turn avoiding punishments. Once the June 30 PSR deadline has passed, the real fun can begin for Villa as they can make new signings with less at stake.
The Villans still won’t be able to go gung-ho with new additions but Monchi and Emery will have a bit more freedom to address what the squad needs. Villa want to be in the fight for Champions League football again, after all, while a decent run in the UEFA Europa League and domestic cup competitions will be targeted as Emery eyes his first trophy as Villa boss.
Who could come and who could go this summer, then? Well, so much is still up in the air but we here at Birmingham World have taken a deep dive into the likeliest sales and signings. With that in mind, click through the pages to see how Villa’s squad could shape up for the 2025/26 season – as well as explanations for each and every player listed.
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1. How Aston Villa's new-look squad could look like for 2025-26
With all of the likeliest ins and outs, here's a full run-through. | Getty Images
2. IN: Lucas Chevalier
Villa are strongly considering making an official bid for LOSC Lille goalkeeper Chevalier as Emiliano Martinez appears to be on his way out to ease SCR concerns. The 23-year-old, who recently won the Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the Season award, is current France’s number two behind AC Milan shot-stopper Mike Maignan. | AFP via Getty Images
3. Joe Gauci
Set to return from his six-month loan deal at Barnsley, Gauci will likely be Villa’s backup goalkeeper now that Robin Olsen has been released. The Australia international has a long way to go to be Premier League quality but his development could be aided by starts in the cup. | Getty Images
4. Matty Cash
Expected to continue as Villa’s starting right-back at the beginning of next season, Cash was in fine form during the second half of 2024/25. Although he made a mistake against Man Utd on the final day, Cash proved to be a reliable option much of the time. | Getty Images