Aston Villa call for maximum losses to be increased by £30MILLION in proposed change to Premier League spending rules in an attempt to ‘protect competitive balance’

Aston Villa are proposing a change to the rules restricting Premier League clubs’ spending before the transfer window opens formally on June 14.

Mail Sport has learned that Villa have suggested increasing the amount of money top-flight clubs are permitted to lose within the current financial structure and the matter could be put to a vote at the next shareholders’ meeting, scheduled for June 6.

Under the current profitability and sustainability regulations (PSR), top-flight clubs are allowed to lose a maximum of £105million over a three-year period. Last season Everton and Nottingham Forest were found to have breached those rules and were docked eight and four points respectively. Newly-promoted Leicester have also been charged and may start next season with a penalty.

In a document circulated around the league and seen by Mail Sport, Villa float the idea of raising that threshold from £105m over three years to £135m. 

The document read: ‘We believe that increasing the current level of the allowable losses would go some way to accounting for the inflationary pressures that Premier League clubs are facing, would aid the competitive balance of the Premier League, and not damage clubs’ financial sustainability.

Aston Villa are proposing a change to the maximum losses that clubs are allowed to make in the Premier League

Unai Emery’s side qualified for the Champions League for the first time since the competition’s rebranding

Everton suffered two points deductions across the season amounting to a total of eight points

‘The Premier League’s current PSR regulations allow clubs to incur a maximum of £105m losses over three years. While this regulation aims to maintain financial stability and fair competition, it has become increasingly clear that this limit is too low given the current economic landscape in football.’

Any motion would need the support of 14 of the 20 clubs to pass. Earlier this month, Wolves followed a similar process to try to force a vote on whether to retain VAR for the 2024-25 campaign or scrap it altogether.

Though they are owned by billionaires Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, Villa are – like many clubs – limited in how freely they can operate in the market and may have to sell players before they can buy, even though the club will compete in the Champions League for the first time in their history.

That means homegrown stars like Jacob Ramsey may depart before the end of June, while there could also be bids for midfielder Douglas Luiz and even star striker Ollie Watkins, though Villa would be determined to resist all attempts to sign the England forward.

The proposal continues: ‘Another key aim for the financial regulation is to protect the competitive balance of a league. The current allowable losses limits teams with lower revenue to compete with those who generate higher income.

‘This demonstrates the difficulty for teams to close the gap financially and therefore struggle to close the gap on the pitch. Our proposed increase to allowed losses would enable ambitious clubs to challenge those above them in the table and improve the overall competitive balance of the Premier League.’

Players like Ollie Watkins could be of interest to a number of top clubs after his impressive season

There is a widespread feeling across the league that PSR solidifies the position of the so-called ‘Big Six’ and protects them from long-term competition. Whether this feeling is strong enough to change the rules is another matter, especially with a new financial framework in place from the 2025-26 campaign.

Villa did not comment.