Aston Villa forced to sell Ramsey or £100m star as Grealish FFP benefit ‘out of equation’ in 2024/25

Aston Villa will be forced to sell either Douglas Luiz or Jacob Ramsey in the summer transfer window in order to solve an imminent Financial Fair Play issue.

The January transfer window was the quietest for a long while as a points deduction for Everton and the threat of a further sanction for the Toffees and Nottingham Forest have terrified clubs into operating within the profit and sustainability rules (PSR).

Villa brought in Kosta Nedeljkovic from Red Star Belgrade and Morgan Rogers from Middlesbrough for a combined £14.5m, but reportedly pulled the plug on plans to sign a striker amid fears they would breach financial rules.

And the Villans are set for even greater issues next season according to finance expert Kieran Maguire, who points out that they will no longer benefit from Jack Grealish’s £100m sale.

“Aston Villa spent more than any other club in 2021-22 in terms of transfers,” Maguire told Football Insider.

“From 2024-25 onwards, the benefits of the Jack Grealish sale, which contributed £100million to their FFP calculations, will drop out of the equation.

“Therefore, they’re going to have to box clever in relation to their activity in the summer market.

“Academy players are increasingly being viewed as inventories rather than talent because of the profits that they generate.

“It is one route, but I’m sure it will disappoint fans because there’s always that extra special link between the fan base and players who have come through the academy ranks.”

Maguire believes Villa may as a result look to sell Ramsey as academy players are now viewed as assets rather than talents due to the pure profit earned from their sales.

Both Tottenham and Bayern Munich are reportedly interested, and may make a summer approach given Villa’s financial difficulties.

Another option for Villa, according to transfer correspondent Pete O’Rourke, would be the sale of prized asset Douglas Luiz, whom they’ve slapped a £100m price tag on amid interest from Liverpool, Barcelona and Arsenal.