Newcastle United can help Aston Villa repeat PSR-busting trick - as £30m transfer links emerge

The Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules dominated all transfer talk this time last year. Clubs up and down the division were forced to scramble for creative solutions to avoid points deductions that had been handed to Everton and Nottingham Forest.

Newcastle United, of course, sold Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh to Forest and Brighton respectively in deals that raised almost £70m and ensured that they would not be penalised. That double deal, although tough to take at the time, proved vital in helping them qualify for the Champions League and puts them in a position of relative strength this summer.

Whilst Newcastle allowed Anderson and Minteh to leave, clubs like Aston Villa, Chelsea and Everton completed clever deals that saw some of their brightest academy prospects leave the club. Tim Iroegbunam and Lewis Dobbin were exchanged between Everton and Villa in separate deals, whilst Ian Maatsen moved from Stamford Bridge to Villa Park.

These deals allowed the trio to avoid falling foul of the rules, with a quirk of PSR meaning clubs are almost incentivised to sell academy products as they can be recorded as pure profit on financial results. A year on, could Newcastle United be involved again in some of these PSR-busting deals - and how will they help out one of their biggest rivals in doing so?

Newcastle United ‘eye’ Jacob Ramsey

The first reports of interest from St James’ Park in Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey first emerged in January, but a move was never on the cards that month as the Magpies looked to be cautious with their spending. However, as the June 30 deadline for PSR approaches, there is a possibility that interest could be reignited this summer.

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Villa reportedly have to make a sale before the end of June cut-off in order to ensure their losses don’t tip over the £105m over three years allowance. Having missed out on Champions League football on the final day of the season, the Villains face a crucial few weeks ahead to secure their finances and avoid a points deduction.

Whilst only a select few at Villa Park will fully understand the intricacies of their current financial situation, selling Ramsey, an academy graduate, would allow them to record the money received as pure profit and go a long way in helping them escape punishment. Villa reportedly value Ramsey at £30m this summer, according to Sky Sport Italia.

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Newcastle United, meanwhile, reportedly view Ramsey as an option to bolster their midfield options, with the 24-year-old versatile enough to also cover on the wing if needed. Joe Willock, who plays a similar role in Eddie Howe’s current system, has been linked with a move away from St James’ Park this summer and Ramsey could fill that gap if he is allowed to leave Tyneside.

Whilst Newcastle don’t necessarily have to wrap up a deal for Ramsey before the June 30 deadline, they do hold an advantage at the negotiating table before that cut-off point and may, as Howe previously alluded to, strike as predators rather than prey this summer.

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