Aston Villa have boxed themselves into something of a corner when it comes to the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules, with the club forced to at least contemplate the sale of a big-name first-team player.
Jacob Ramsey has been attracting interest from Premier League rivals Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur, and German giants Bayern Munich are keen too. In their current situation, Villa have to at least consider any proposals.
There’s also a possibility that the PSR will play a key role as Villa assess the future of Nicolo Zaniolo. The Italian arrived on loan from Turkish club Galatasaray with a conditional obligation to buy worth £38m when including all initial loan fees and add ons, but that would be a particularly significant outlay in the current circumstances.
Villa make Zaniolo decision
According to Turkish outlet Aksam, Villa have already decided not to sign Zaniolo permanently. Galatasaray were hopeful of a “huge” windfall from his exit, but a long-term switch could now “officially” be ruled out. The Super Lig club will have to be content instead with their €5m (£4.3m) loan fee from Villa as they aim instead to sell him to one of the Serie A sides who have been showing an interest.
Related
4/10 Aston Villa star let Unai Emery down against Man Utd
Aston Villa suffered a late defeat to Manchester United on the weekend
The report adds that Zaniolo is regarded as a “disappointment” behind the scenes in the Midlands, with the 24-year-old unable to meet expectations. As such, with three and a half months of the season still remaining, he’s “preparing to leave” come the summer as both parties look to move on.
Zaniolo may no longer be “very happy” at Villa
Emery has used Zaniolo in as many as six different roles since his arrival, and while the positive spin on that would be that he’s an invaluably versatile player, the cynic would argue that he hasn’t performed well enough to nail down any specific spot.
Nicolo Zaniolo position | Apps |
|---|---|
Left wing | 5 |
Attacking midfield | 3 |
Right wing | 3 |
Left midfield | 3 |
Centre-forward | 1 |
Second striker | 1 |
In all, he’s played 27 games in claret and blue, with 16 of those coming in the Premier League. Emery has handed him seven starts and named him on the bench 13 times in the top flight, opting not to use him at all on four occasions.
Zaniolo was picked in the XI for half of Villa’s Europa Conference League games, but hasn’t made it for any of their four domestic cup matches this season, so it’s hard to pinpoint exactly where he stands in the squad.
What’s clear is that he’s regressed in recent times – he enjoyed a good run in the autumn with seven starts from 10 between 21 September and 5 November, but he hasn’t begun a game since the 1-1 draw with Zrinjski in the final Conference League group game, when he scored his first goal for the club.
After he hit his second to salvage a 1-1 draw with Sheffield United in stoppage-time later that month, he said he was “very happy” at Villa Park, but that stance may have changed in the weeks since.
