Aston Villa reportedly at risk of being first Premier League club to breach FFP rules

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Aston Villa risk being the first Premier League club to fall foul of Financial Fair Play rules, according to a report by the Daily Mail.

They report that Villa lost £36.1 million during the 2017-18 campaign and although their results for last season and this season haven’t yet been published, they are thought leave the club needing to raise money during the rest of the campaign to avoid a breach.

Queens Park Rangers, Bournemouth and Leicester City have been fined for failure to comply with the profit and sustainability rules as Championship clubs, while Villa’s local rivals Birmingham suffered a points deduction last term. No club has been reprimanded while in the top flight, though.

But the report does also say that Villa will not be forced to sell any players in January, necessarily, because they have until 31 May – after the season has ended – to balance the books. At that stage, it will be easier to plan, because Dean Smith will know which league he will be managing in for 2020-21 then.

TBR’s View – Villa could face a hectic May

Villa appear to have two choices. They could try and balance the books in January, giving themselves a clearer idea of their financial situation come the end of the season.

But that would very likely weaken their survival bid, and thus their chances of retaining the Premier League money.

So if they decide to leave it until May, it could be a frantic close-season as the financial landscape becomes clear.