Aston Villa exploring women's team sale to help comply with PSR
Aston Villa are the latest club to explore the possibility of selling their women's team to help comply with the Premier League's profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).
One source, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, said Villa have been looking into a sale for the past 18 months, having recorded losses of £195million over the past two years – leaving them in danger of breaching PSR.
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Chelsea helped to balance the books by selling their women's team to the club's parent company in a move which generated a profit of nearly £200m, paving the way for other Premier League clubs to consider a similar arrangement.
Chelsea have since sold an eight per cent stake in their all-conquering women's side to Alexis Ohanian, the tech millionaire who co-founded Reddit and is married to 23-time tennis grand slam champion Serena Williams.
It is unclear if Villa would effectively sell their women's team – which finished sixth in the Women's Super League last season – to themselves or to external investors, but discussions are advancing and any revenue would be potentially significant if they are to avoid breaching the Premier League's financial rules in future.
Villa, whose men's team has finished in the top seven for three consecutive campaigns under head coach Unai Emery, reported a loss of £85.4million for the 2023-24 season following a loss of £119.6 million for 2022-23.
They turned a profit of £300,000 in 2021-22 but a combined loss of more than £105million over three seasons would constitutes a PSR breach, although spending on infrastructure, youth and women's football is exempt.
Chelsea banked £198.7m from the sale of their women's team meaning they recorded a pre-tax profit of £128.4m and stayed within profitability and sustainability rules.
The Premier League is yet to approve the deal as being at fair market value, however, while Chelsea could still face a UEFA fine as the European governing body is refusing to allow them to offset losses against the sale.
Villa will compete in the Europa League next season after finishing sixth in the top flight.
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