- Had the deal not happened, Villa would’ve breached Premier League PSR rules
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Aston Villa were hours away from a 10-point deduction that would have derailed their season before they sold Douglas Luiz to Juventus in the nick of time.
Even as they were celebrating qualifying for the Champions League in May, Villa officials knew they faced a race against the clock to meet Premier League spending regulations by the June 30 deadline.
They had agreed to let Luiz join Juventus in May, but there was precious little time to spare when the deal was concluded. Rather than pay the full asking price, Juventus wanted to include two of their youngsters in the deal, with the clubs finally settling on Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea.
‘We found ourselves in a situation where we had make an important profit to avoid being in breach with the PSR (profit and sustainability rules),’ said Damian Vidagany, Villa’s director of football operations. ‘It was very challenging.
‘Everybody was cheering and celebrating the Champions League, but Monchi (Villa’s transfer chief) and I were at the party thinking how we could avoid a points deduction that would have spoiled a wonderful season. There was a bomb with the countdown, and we were there to cut the cable. We arrived at the last second with this problem.
Douglas Luiz moved to Juventus this summer in a crucial move for his former side Aston Villa
Villa finished fourth in the Premier League last season, qualifying for the Champions League
‘From May 20 until June 30 is normally the holiday period for everyone in football, but for us it was a very difficult moment. It’s not just about selling players who will ensure you make a profit. At the same time you have to sell the players that (manager) Unai Emery believes are not crucial for the team.’
Villa did not disclose how many points they feared they would lose, but Mail Sport understands it was around 10. Everton and Nottingham Forest were both docked points for PSR breaches last season.
There was a sense towards the end of last season that Luiz was no…