Aston Villa have reportedly targeted two summer signings as Unai Emery looks to strengthen his squad for next season.
Having missed out on Champions League football on goal difference, Emery and the Birmingham club will look to go one better next season and have identified two targets they hope will help achieve that goal.
The first is Real Betis winger Jesus Rodriguez who started 15 games in La Liga last season. The teenager established himself as an important member of Betis’s first-team squad last season, playing 21 times in the league, as the club earned a Europa League spot.
Fabrizio Romano reports Villa have opened discussions with Betis for the 19-year-old who primarily operates on the left but can also play on the opposite wing.
Romano wrote on X: ‘EXCL: Aston Villa start club to club talks for Real Betis talent Jesús Rodriguez. 2005 born talent on shortlist of several clubs but Villa made contact this week to start discussions.’
Also on Emery’s wishlist is Atalanta right-back Raoul Bellanova. The 25-year-old is believed to have a number of Premier League suitors with Fulham and West Ham also interested but Villa given their higher league position may be a more attractive prospect.
Bellanova made 35 appearances for Atalanta in Serie A last year, assisting nine times from his wing-back position.
CaughtOffside report that Atalanta value him around €40m with Villa looking to strengthen the position currently occupied by Matty Cash.
However, any transfer incomings may have to be countered with outgoings after Villa’s loss of Champions League football put them under pressure in terms of Profit and Sustainability Rules.
The financial rules state that clubs can make an “allowable” loss of £5m per season on average for three years with an extra £30m allowed should the owner have secured funding.
Villa are thought to be one of the Premier League’s most at-risk clubs with their wages a key issue.
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire warned Villa that they are operating dangerously close to UEFA’s threshold as well.
“Their wages have been 90 per cent of the revenue,” Maguire said. “UEFA says anything over 70 is something they have to be concerned about.”
“They’ve done well in terms of progress in the Champions League, which has boosted the money in,” Maguire added. “But at the same time, players would have had substantial bonuses.”
Players such as Morgan Rogers will have many clubs after him but Villa are unlikely to want to lose one of their biggest stars.
Instead, they will look to offload expensive contracts such as Philippe Coutinho’s who earns a reported £4.7m a year.
One potential source of income could be the sale of Ollie Watkins with Arsenal previously linked to the English forward. The Gunners made a move for Watkins late in the January transfer window but Villa rejected it having lost Jhon Duran earlier.
However, it seems Arsenal’s sights have now been moved to the likes of Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres.
Villa are reportedly open to a deal though with a fee of £50-60m believed to be enough to prise him from Birmingham.