Aston Villa have reportedly joined the race to complete a free transfer for Unai Emery, according to reports coming out of Italy.
Aston Villa still wary of financial fair play
The Villans were forced into early transfer action over the summer thanks to the June 30th deadline for their accounts, with the club needing to balance their books for Premier League financial fair play reasons.
So tight was their deadline that they announced the departure of Douglas Luiz on June 30th, but didn't announce the confirm of Juventus duo Enzo Barrenechea and Samuel Iling-Junior until July 1st, a new financial year.
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Of course, the two deals were separate transactions, but the pair relied upon one another to be completed. Villa's position was also boosted by the sale of Moussa Diaby to Al-Ittihad later in the window, with the club recouping a hefty fee for the winger.
Despite this upheaval, it was still a strong window for the Midlands outfit, with the Villans signing eight new players headlined by the arrivals of Amadou Onana and Ian Maatsen from Everton and Chelsea respectively.
Aston Villa's new signings (summer 2024)
Player
Fee
Amadou Onana
£50m
Ian Maatsen
£37m
Cameron Archer
£14m
Jaden Philogene
£13.5m
Lewis Dobbin
£8m
Samuel Iling-Junior
£11.8m + add-ons
Enzo Barrenechea
£6.7m + add-ons
Ross Barkley
£5m
With a net spend of just £40m, they have managed to add seriuos quality and depth to Unai Emery's side, but the issues with financial fair play have not disappeared entirely. According to the Athletic, Villa are "still tight on PSR restrictions", which may restrict big spending in the months to come despite Emery's potential wishes.
One way to fix that is to continue their shrewd spending, and now they have been named as one of the clubs chasing a potential free transfer.
Villa eye up soon to be free agent
That comes as reports from Italy name Aston Villa as one of the sides "in the running" to sign Jonathan David next summer, after having had contact with the Lille striker this summer. He is down to the final 10 months of his £27,500 a week deal with the Ligue 1 side, and is yet to pen fresh terms, though he hinted he could be willing to do so while on international duty with Canada.
“Well, right now we’re speaking with the (Lille President Oliver Letang) about a possible extension,” David said. “We’ll see how that goes. I’m open to anything."
Should he opt not to sign a new deal, he will be a free agent next summer and have his pick of interested clubs. The report adds that Emery personally admires the striker, who was described as a “phenomenon” by old Gent manager Hein Vanhaezebrouck and has found the net 87 times in 190 outings for Lille.
Inter are also interested, but can already call upon the services of Ballon d'Or nominee Lautaro Martinez and World Cup finalist Marcus Thuram. On a free transfer, David may well be the perfect solution to Aston Villa's financial conundrum, with the Villans needing to improve their squad on a budget.
