Aston Villa have been warned they might need to put the brakes on their ambitions to comply with the Premier League's new financial regulations.

Since Unai Emery’s appointment as manager in late 2022, Villa have gone from strength to strength. Having clinched Champions League qualification in 2023/24, followed by reaching the FA Cup semi-finals and the Champions League quarter-finals last season, the club are edging closer towards becoming a powerhouse again.

But while that is the case on the pitch, with Emery’s men currently third in the highly competitive Premier League table, they are still some way off their rivals in terms of finances and the ability to stamp their authority on the transfer window.

The main obstacle for Villa is the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR). After more than ten years, PSR will be abolished at the end of this season and replaced by the Squad-Cost Ratio (SCR), which caps clubs at spending no more than 85% of their football revenue and net profit or loss from transfers, with sporting sanctions dished...