Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz could hold the keys to any of Unai Emery’s transfer plans this summer, it has been revealed.
UCL qualification to ease Villa’s FFP woes
Though the Villans are flying in the Premier League, they are looking over their shoulder when it comes to financial fair play. The Midlands outfit posted losses of £119.6m after tax compared to a £0.3m profit last season in their latest accounts, which has sparked concerns that they may be forced to sanction departures this summer, despite reassurances from the board that ‘these figures are in line with the strategic business plan’.
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Could it be a return to the Premier League?
Qualifying for Europe’s Premium competition would certainly help, with the Champions League offering an excellent financial incentive to its participants. For comparison, the Conference League offers just £500,000 for a group stage win and £5m for winning the entire competition, which pales in comparison to £2.4m for a Champions League group stage win and £18m for winning the whole thing.
Villa are well placed to reach that competition, currently five points ahead of Tottenham in fifth and a massive 11 points clear of 6th placed Manchester United. Though Tottenham have a game in hand on the Villans, the pair meet at Villa Park on Sunday, which will give Emery’s side the chance to stretch their lead even further and all but book their place in next season’s Champions League.
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The run in |
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|
Gameweek |
Aston Villa |
Tottenham |
Manchester United |
|
28 |
Tottenham (H) |
Aston Villa (A) |
Everton (H) |
|
29 |
West Ham (A) |
Fulham (A) |
Brentford (A) |
|
30 |
Wolves (H) |
Luton (H) |
Chelsea (A) |
|
31 |
Man City (A) |
West Ham (A) |
Liverpool (H) |
|
32 |
Brentford (H) |
Nottingham Forest (H) |
Bournemouth (A) |
|
33 |
Arsenal (A) |
Newcastle (A) |
Newcastle United (H) |
|
34 |
Bournemouth (H) |
Man City (H) |
Burnley (H) |
|
35 |
Chelsea (H) |
Arsenal (H) |
Crystal Palace (A) |
|
36 |
Brighton (A) |
Liverpool (A) |
Arsenal (H) |
|
37 |
Liverpool (H) |
Burnley (H) |
Brighton (A) |
|
38 |
Crystal Palace (A) |
Sheffield United (A) |
Sheffield United (H)- date TBC |
Luiz part of NSWE’s big transfer plan
With major signings planned though, even qualifying for the Champions League may not be enough to balance the books, and sales may be required. As per Football Insider, Douglas Luiz will be the man most likely to make his departure from Villa Park. Unai Emery values his midfield maestro around £100m and there is thought to be interest from Manchester City and Arsenal, with the latter having made three bids for the Brazilian back in 2022.
Should Luiz depart and Villa qualify for the Champions League, it is added that the powers that be in the Midlands would be willing to sanction a massive £200m spending spree this summer, with the ultimate aim of joining the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal in the elite bracket in the Premier League.
Whether any club would be willing to splash out £100m on Luiz is another matter, with both Arsenal and City having spent extensively on their midfield in recent years.
