Aston Villa steal transfer advantage as Eddie Howe reveals Newcastle United PSR warning

Aston Villa are reportedly interested in signing two very familiar names this month as they look to strengthen Unai Emery’s squad for the Premier League run-in.

Villa, who have enjoyed a remarkable run of late, currently sit third in the Premier League table and level on points with Manchester City. The Villains defeated Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup on Saturday night as they look to end their long trophy drought, whilst they continue to go strong in the Europa League.

In an effort to boost their hopes of ending the season successfully, reports have suggested that Villa could look to sign both Conor Gallagher and Tammy Abraham this month. Both Gallagher and Abraham were products of Chelsea’s academy and have previously been linked with their own respective moves to St James’ Park.

Gallagher joined Atletico Madrid from Chelsea last summer and has become a regular under Diego Simeone in Spain’s capital. Abraham, meanwhile, currently plays for Turkish side Besiktas.

Both Gallagher and Abraham have a wealth of Premier League experience and could bolster some key areas of Emery’s squad that need improvement. Abraham, who spent the 2018/19 season on-loan at Villa Park, would reportedly act as depth and competition for Ollie Watkins amid rumours that Donyell Malen could leave to join Roma this month.

Gallagher, meanwhile, could move to Villa Park if Harvey Elliott leaves the club this month. Elliott joined Villa on-loan in the summer, but has rarely featured during his time in the midlands with Villa unwilling to fork-out £35m to sign him on a permanent basis from Liverpool.

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Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, won’t allow Gallagher to leave this month unless there is an obligation for Villa to purchase the midfielder in summer. Atletico paid Chelsea £38m to secure his signature in 2024.

Eddie Howe makes Newcastle United transfer & PSR admission

Whilst Villa, a club whose journey from relegation candidates to European regulars is often compared to Newcastle United’s rise over the last few seasons, are seemingly taking a very active role in the January transfer window and searching for ways to strengthen their squad, activity in the north east has been much slower.

The Magpies have not signed a senior player in the January transfer window since 2023 and had to watch on as Villa significantly strengthened their squad this time last year - a move that almost resulted in them gazumping the Magpies for Champions League qualification. Financial rules have hamstrung what Newcastle United and Villa have been able to do in recent transfer windows and, speaking on Monday morning, Howe admitted that their business would once again be dictated by financial restrictions: “The problem for us is PSR,” United’s head coach said.

“No one is saying we can't do this or can't do that. The key thing to consider is business now versus business in the summer.

“Value for money now, value for money in the summer, signing the right player. If you sign the wrong player, you’re carrying that for a three, four, five-year contract. Are the right players available in January?

“There's a lot to discuss and a lot to consider for our short-term need against the long-term decision for the football club.”

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