Aston Villa's situation proves football is broken under PSR regulations but Newcastle United should still take advantage

Aston Villa have enjoyed a season in the Champions League but are facing the reality of having to sell players early in the transfer window to avoid a points deduction for breaching Profit and Sustainability Rules ... sound familiar?

Just like Newcastle United last summer, Aston Villa follow up their Champions League season by having to weaken their squad thus making it harder to compete the following season. Indeed, Villa are still at risk of missing out Champions League this season as one of the six clubs battling over four places.

To make matters worse, the Villans brought in around £160 million in the last year via player sales with Luis Diaz, Moussa Diaby and Jhon Duran leaving for big fees, and yet despite only bringing in Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio on loan, they still face the prospect of a points deduction.

As for how much in the hole Villa are, we don't know. Indeed, Birmingham World haven't put a figure on it when they've broached the subject, but the fact that they're in trouble at all shows just how broken PSR is and how impossible it is for up-and-coming clubs to consistently challenge the big six.

Getty Images

Should Newcastle exploit Aston Villa's PSR problems with a few cheeky bids?

With all that having been said, we suffered last year because of PSR, so I see no reason why Newcastle shouldn't try and take advantage of Aston Villa's position.

A cheeky bid for Morgan Rogers would surely go down well with the Toon Army. It's unlikely to lead anywhere, but it could still have an effect having rival clubs trying to peck the meat off their bones while they're in a vulnerable position.

We could maybe test the waters for Jacob Ramsey or Ollie Watkins. Let's just shake the tree and see what falls out.

PSR really needs to just go away

Ollie Watkins could be a decent backup for Alexander Isak, he's similar to Callum Wilson but less injury-prone, whereas Jacob Ramsey has bags of talent that Eddie Howe could eke out of him.

Morgan Rogers is already a star and has been phenomenal this season, so it's very, very unlikely Villa would be moved at all to let him go unless the situation was very desperate.

In truth, though, we'd much prefer to make genuine bids at proper prices for these types of signings rather than exploiting clubs in a perilous situation they have no business being in. I mean, how you can say Newcastle United can't afford to spend money when their owners have a never-ending pot of gold is absolutely insane, and Villa aren't exactly skint either.