V Sports agree PSR deadline-busting sale at Aston Villa as advanced UEFA talks emerge
Aston Villa appear to have made a decision to smartly manoeuvre the financial rules set up by the Premier League.
V Sports, the parent company which owns Villa, have agreed on a deal with the club involving their women’s team.
The aforementioned company was initially founded as NSWE by Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris, before being rebranded in 2021.
V Sports set to buy stake in Villa women’s team for £5.5m
According to Matt Law in the Telegraph on 30 June, to comply with Premier League financial regulations, Villa are in discussions to sell a stake in their women’s team to investors, potentially valuing the team at around £55million.
It’s understood to be a sale of a 10 per cent stake, understood to be worth £5.5million.
The Villa Park outfit aim to bring down their player costs by 20 per cent this summer as they wait to see whether they will be punished by UEFA.
Advanced talks are understood to be ongoing with UEFA over a resolution with regards to FFP, claims David Ornstein.
| # | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea W | 22 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 56 | 13 | 43 | 60 |
| 2 | Arsenal W | 22 | 15 | 3 | 4 | 62 | 26 | 36 | 48 |
| 3 | Manchester United W | 22 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 41 | 16 | 25 | 44 |
| 4 | Manchester City W | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 49 | 28 | 21 | 43 |
| 5 | Brighton W | 22 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 35 | 41 | -6 | 28 |
| 6 | Aston Villa W | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 32 | 44 | -12 | 25 |
| 7 | Liverpool W | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 22 | 37 | -15 | 25 |
| 8 | Everton W | 22 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 24 | 32 | -8 | 24 |
| 9 | West Ham United W | 22 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 36 | 41 | -5 | 23 |
| 10 | Leicester City W | 22 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 21 | 37 | -16 | 20 |
| 11 | Tottenham Hotspur W | 22 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 26 | 44 | -18 | 20 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace W | 22 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 65 | -45 | 10 |
The move made by the Birmingham-based club mirrors that of Chelsea, who were taken over a few years ago.
They sold their women’s team to BlueCo, the company which owns the club, for a £200million fee.
Aston Villa appear to be circumventing the rules smartly
Aston Villa are navigating Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and UEFA’s squad cost ratio (SCR) regulations by exploring innovative financial strategies, such as selling a stake in their women’s team.
By subsequently selling the remaining 90 per cent to their parent company, controlled by Sawiris, Villa could generate PSR-compliant funds to offset their £85.4million loss in 2023-24 and avoid penalties.
This approach leverages asset sales to related parties, a loophole not permitted under UEFA rules but valid for PSR.
From a business standpoint, this is smart as it ensures financial compliance, preserves squad investment, and avoids forced player sales, allowing Villa to maintain competitiveness in the Premier League and Europa League while strategically managing their financial constraints.
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