NSWE 'can afford' fee for Aston Villa to beat Chelsea in transfer race for Gent ace Archie Brown

Aston Villa can afford to pay a £17million fee to beat the likes of Crystal Palace and Chelsea to Archie Brown's signature this summer, according to Alan Hutton.

Unai Emery is keen to add to his squad during the summer transfer window as the Villans begin to prepare for their Champions League campaign having beaten Tottenham to the top four of the Premier League.

One player who is reportedly on the radar of the Spaniard is Gent left-back Gray with reports suggesting Villa and Palace have joined the likes of Chelsea, West Ham and Everton in considering a potential move this summer [The Mirror, 28 May].

Although Hutton admits that he has been left surprised by Emery's decision to try and sign a new left-sided option this summer, he believes that the 22-year-old ticks almost all of the boxes to help improve Villa this summer.

"He's a good age and a homegrown player," Hutton exclusively told Villa News.

"He's had an excellent season at Gent by all accounts. Left-back wasn't an area that I thought they really needed to strengthen if I was honest unless one of Alex Moreno or Lucas Digne moved on.

"I think he's building a squad that he can mould and shape himself at the right age to really try and kick on. Look, I've not seen a lot of him so I'll have to wait and see but he looks attacking, he looks like he wants to get forward and that's how Emery wants to play.

"Again, they were talking about around £17million and it is something that Villa can afford, but for me personally it will have to be one out to get one in."

Will Aston Villa win the summer transfer race for Gent gem Archie Brown?

With PSR concerns being present across the entirety of the Premier League this summer, clubs like Villa are going to have to be incredibly astute with their transfer business to ensure that they aren't hit with point deductions.

The days of throwing millions of pounds around recklessly in the window may well be gone, but Villa's qualification for the Champions League next season means they will have a bit more money to spend than some teams around them.

£17million is not a small fee, but it is an affordable one for the Villans this summer, especially when a player fits Emery's style as well as Brown appears to. If a deal can be struck, Villa would be making a mistake to allow it to pass them by.

Hopefully, Villa will get this one over the line nice and early this summer so that they can begin focusing on adding in other areas of the pitch before pre-season gets underway.

In other Aston Villa news, Chelsea and Villa's stance on a swap deal to bring Conor Gallagher to Villa Park has emerged

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