Aston Villa are struggling to hand Unai Emery fresh transfer funds this window even if they sell Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle. 

Ramsey was closing in on a move to St James’ Park on Thursday after Villa accepted an offer worth about £40million for their homegrown midfielder.

Yet Mail Sport understands that the possible sale is unlikely to boost Villa’s position in the market, with the summer window due to close on September 1.

In July, Villa were fined £9.5m for breaching UEFA’s financial rules. From 2025, clubs involved in European competition will be allowed to spend only 70 per cent of their revenues on player-related costs, such as salaries. In UEFA’s latest analysis, Villa were found to have a ‘squad cost ratio’ of between 80 and 90 per cent.

More to follow.