The first transfer window of the summer is closed but the huge questions hanging over Aston Villa still need to be answered.
Are Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio or Jack Grealish really heading back to Villa Park? Who's heading for the exit? And can Villa ever escape the constraints of PSR?
We put out the call for your questions and you responded in your droves.
Here, our Villa expert TOM COLLOMOSSE has been providing all the answers you need to know.
Is there a chance for Villa to sign Marcus Rashford on a permanent deal? – Danish Villa
I’ve said all along that I think Villa’s best chance of signing him is on another loan deal, this time for the entire 2025-26 season. But it won’t be easy.
Rashford’s dream is to join Barcelona and Manchester United would like to sell him permanently for about £40million, ideally before July 1 to fit into this year's PSR calculations. If Barca do not make a serious move for Luis Diaz, it appears Rashford is next on their list.
But with three years to run on a contract worth £315,000 a week, Rashford can afford to sit tight – and so can Villa.
They know Ruben Amorim does not want the player and the longer he stays at United, the stronger the potential buying clubs’ position becomes.
Are you expecting a big turnover in players and a squad refresh? Signing five players in January is uncommon, but do you think it may become the norm over the next few windows until we have a true Emery team? – Paul
If you look at Monchi’s record, he usually handles a high number of transactions during a transfer window. While I wouldn’t anticipate the same number of player exchanges that happened in June last year, I still expect Villa to trade significantly.
Jacob Ramsey is valued at about £40m and would generate pure profit as a homegrown player, even if he moved in a player-exchange deal. Tottenham and West Ham are thought to be monitoring the situation.
While Chelsea and Arsenal admire Morgan Rogers, it would take a huge offer to make Villa even consider selling. As for Emi Martinez, the Argentina goalkeeper is open to a move but no firm offer has yet materialised: Atletico Madrid like him, but could progress a deal only if they can find a buyer for Jan Oblak.
It is not just about key first-teamers, either: fringe players and others who spent last season on loan could all be sold to keep the wheels moving and ensure Villa stay in line with spending regulations. In the PSR era, every club has to be aware of these factors.
What could happen with Marco Asensio and Jack Grealish? – Dave
Missing out on the Champions League will affect both Villa’s appeal and their spending power.
Asensio likes Villa and Unai Emery likes him - but he’s on high wages at PSG and while a solution could surely be found, Villa must decide if it is worth handing a long, expensive contract to a player who turns 30 in January.
As for Grealish, let’s wait and see. Nothing should be ruled out so early in the window though like Rashford, any deal for the former Villa Park favourite would surely have to be a loan arrangement, given his hefty contract.
Are Villa looking at creative ways to comply with PSR? – Josh
Always. With their wage bill/turnover ratio so high, Villa must always have an eye on PSR regulations.
Wages were around 91 per cent of revenue for the most recent set of accounts, covering the 2023-24 season, and while better sponsorship deals and prize money from the Champions League campaign will certainly help, the club’s most effective way of keeping the wolf from the door is to sell players - as both Monchi and Emery have said.
That is why Villa’s excellent academy system should help - although perhaps not in the way they would have wanted, which is a constant source of frustration for clubs at Villa’s level.
They feel the financial rules are weighted too heavily in favour of clubs like Manchester United, who generate huge revenue regardless of how they perform on the pitch.
What is the position with Boubacar Kamara’s contract talks? – AVFC Threads
Villa would like to make Kamara one of the highest-paid players in the history of the club. When fit, the midfielder is arguably their most important player and has been offered a contract that reflects that.
Though players of this level will always be tempted by Champions League football, Kamara wants to force his way into the France team in time for the World Cup and knows he will play every week at Villa, which is not guaranteed elsewhere.
Why not do at least one more season with a significantly increased wage and, if Villa neither make the top five again nor win the Europa League next season, take a look at his options then?
What is the justification for selling Enzo Barrenechea, who has shone on loan at Valencia and broken into the Argentina squad? – Wasim
Quite simple – PSR. Barrenechea joined last summer as part of the deal that took Douglas Luiz to Juventus and although he has performed impressively in La Liga, there are doubts about whether he could become a regular in the Premier League.
So with plenty of interest in Spain, this is a chance for Villa to turn an easy profit and help their PSR position. The same could apply to Samuel Iling-Junior, who had loan spells at Bologna and Middlesbrough last term, and Kosta Nedeljkovic, who spent the second half of the campaign at RB Leipzig.
If Philippe Coutinho’s contract is cancelled, does that just mean we will be paying him up in full or will we make a significant saving? – Icarus
Villa are very keen to reach a settlement with Coutinho and that weakens their hand, though I would be surprised if they paid him up in full – as there is always room for negotiation in these situations.
There is virtually no chance the 32-year-old plays for Villa again, though.
Is there any update on Amadou Onana’s future? – LC
When Villa signed Onana 12 months ago, they thought he might become the long-term successor to Kamara in the holding midfield role.
Though the Belgian did well at times last term, he was inconsistent and at this stage of his career, looks more comfortable as a No 8 than a No 6.
The issue with selling him now, though, is that he would not help the balance sheet that much, despite interest from the Saudi Pro League.
Villa paid about £50m for the 23-year-old, who signed a five-year deal. That means his ‘book value’ is about £40m now and it is difficult to see Villa making a significant profit if they did sell.
Where are we scouting these days and what is the order of priority in terms of positions? – Reiss
There are two strands to Villa’s scouting. First, find players who can improve the team today.
Second, compete for the most promising young players in the world who, even if they do not fulfil their potential, can be sold or moved to one of Villa’s eventual ‘sister’ clubs, Vitoria SC of Portugal, Real Union in the Spanish fourth tier, ZED FC of Egypt and Japan's Vissel Kobe.
Like many elite clubs, Villa are studying the multi-club ownership model closely and this may inform their scouting more and more as time passes.
In terms of priority signings, Villa would like a right back, a young No 9 and a wide attacker who can play across the front line. But it’s only June 11 and many things can change.