Aston Villa latest news and transfer rumours as preparations start for UCL

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00:00So, Charlie, let's look at Aston Villa and their sort of transfer situation. Obviously,

00:07this summer is a massive summer of preparation to get back into a Champions League. What's

00:12the latest you can tell us? Is there any sort of rumours, news? Is there any sort of struggles

00:17going on at Villa? What's the latest?

00:20It's been absolutely chaotic at Aston Villa over these last few days, to be quite honest.

00:25It's definitely kept me on my feet with my transfer news reporting. Lots over the weekend

00:30as well, just trying to enjoy a weekend off and then Villa doing deals left, right and

00:34centre. But it's exciting. We want to see this in the transfer window. A lot of people

00:37obviously distracted by the Euros, logging on, searching for transfer news and seeing

00:41that there's loads going on. Villa have had to make some sales before June 30th to comply

00:47with the Premier League's strict profit and sustainability regulations. But now the Athletic

00:54are reporting that enough sales have been agreed that they're going to pass those regulations,

00:58which means Unai Emery can then, after that point, go on and make not as many signings

01:02as he wants, but he can be a lot freer to go and get business done. The big one is Douglas

01:08Luiz leaving. I think fans will be quite upset by that as he's been such a key player for

01:12a number of years. But Juventus have agreed to buy him for about £25 million. Sounds

01:18very low, but there's also a separate transaction where Villa get two players in exchange as

01:23well. Samuel Illing Jr, who's an exciting young English winger, 20 years old, has made

01:28a few cameos in the Champions League. And then Enzo Berenikea, who only signed for Juventus

01:33recently, has been out on loan at Frosinone, a defensive midfielder from Argentina. I think

01:38he's 22 or 23, got a lot of potential. So that's a decent deal, really. I know you're

01:43losing Luiz, but it helps with those PSR rules that they have to follow. And then selling

01:48Omari Kellyman to Chelsea for £19 million, Simeon Ogbunam to Everton for £9 million.

01:54There's been a few more incomings that are soon to be done as well. The green light has

01:59been given for Ian Mattson, the Chelsea left-back, £37.5 million to bring him in. And Lewis

02:06Dobbin from Everton as well, £10 million. So catch my breath now, but that's all that's

02:10going on at Villa at the moment. And even more deals could soon get underway as well.

02:15Massive season ahead going into the Champions League. They'll obviously want to continue

02:20their league form as well. It's not just all going to be about the Champions League, because

02:24that can be over so soon if they get, of course, the group of death, for example, or really,

02:29really tough fixtures. But where do you think they are looking in this transfer window?

02:34Is it more towards players that are world-class, or how do they go about it? Because over the

02:39last couple of seasons, they've made some very strong additions, the likes of Pau Torres,

02:43Diego Carlos, players that will get you into those sort of Europa League places. But how

02:48do they sort of make that step up and find that talent that's Champions League worthy?

02:53I think there's a bit of a mix of experience and pure quality now, and players that can

02:58offer that in a few years' time. We're seeing a bit of a theme that they're trying to sign

03:02some younger up-and-coming players, whether that's to try and find some loopholes of PSR,

03:07I'm not too sure, or whether it's whether they're just trying to cover for the future.

03:11That's probably the more likely outcome there. But you've seen the likes of Conor Gallagher linked,

03:16Maximilian Bayer as well from Hoffenheim is a top-class striker already, can play that

03:20kind of Thomas Muller role between the Zagreb field and striker, could work well alongside

03:25Ollie Watkins, perhaps. There's been lots of links with various wingers as well, those

03:29that can cut inside and create trouble. So I think those positions will be strengthened.

03:34And then at full-back as well, obviously, Mattson coming in on the left, and there's

03:38been links with the likes of Denzel Dumfries, Jeremy Frimpong on the right. Obviously, quite

03:43difficult signings, those ones, especially if they do have to watch their spending a

03:46bit. But the intention is there, and I fully believe that they're going to get a lot of

03:50business done in the coming weeks.

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