El Ghazi makes Aston Villa Champions League admission as Ouedraogo transfer stance revealed

It's 85 days until Aston Villa find out who they'll face in the Champions League league phase, with the likes Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan and PSG all potential opponents for Unai Emery's side.

Villa are guaranteed to play at least eight games, four at home and four away against different teams - two from each pot. Importantly, the squad now has experience of travelling across the continent and balancing European commitments with Premier League football, and injuries eventually threatened Villa's chances of staying in the top four and frustrated their attempts to reach the Europa Conference League final.

Fatigue appeared to catch up with Villa at the back end of the season, but they managed to get over the line to claim Champions League football after dealing with the disappointment of being knocked out of Europe at the semi-final stage. Emery, Monchi and Damian Vidagany have a plan in place to attack the summer transfer window so the first-team squad can still be bolstered despite the strain caused by Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

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Ross Barkley is expected to join from Luton Town in a deal worth around £5m, while Villa have expressed an interest in Conor Gallagher. Douglas Luiz is of interest to Juventus this summer and could leave Villa as the club must sell before they can spend themselves.

EL GHAZI'S VILLA UCL PRIDE

When Villa announced losses of nearly £120m across 2023, the club outlined that those figures were in line with their strategic business plan. Essentially, for Villa to go from promotion to the Champions League inside five years, they had to spend vast amounts of money.

Anwar El Ghazi, whose goal at Wembley put Villa on their way to beating Derby County in the 2019 Championship play-off final, believes the Villa Park crowd will play a key role in the club's attempts to make an impact in UEFA's elite club competition.

Asked if he had thought even a few years ago that Villa would make it to the Champions League, El Ghazi told BBC Sport: "At that time, no. But I know the owners are really ambitious and were pushing not only to get into the Premier League but to be a top-six club too. They have achieved that, I am really proud of that because I am a Villa fan now.

"I am surprised by the manager who has done a great job and everyone loves him. If they play like they have done, it will be great, especially at Villa Park where the fans are the 12th man. They will do well.

“The fanbase is amazing, Villa Park is different and you really feel someone is behind you."

NEW FAN ZONE

While Villa's football department operate around the clock in the transfer market, work continues at Villa Park ahead of the new season. There will be a new club shop outside the stadium and inside the ground, capacity will increase to around 42,900.

Villa will also introduce a new fan zone, housing up to 1,500 fans, replacing the replacing the Trinity Road fan zone. The club will be building a new structure in the current players' car park.

There could be capacity to make more exciting scenes before kick-off when the players enter the stadium, similar to what we saw last season. Towards the back end of the campaign, players entered through Trinity Road Stand reception, near the William McGregor statue.

CLARET & BLUE CATCH-UP

OUEDRAOGO'S FATHER SPEAKS OUT

Villa have been credited with an interest in Germany wonderkid Assan Ouedraogo, who enjoyed a breakthrough season at Schalke last term. He appeared to be heading to Bayern Munich this summer, but the German club pulled out of the race last weekend.

Ouedraogo has a release clause of £12m for Premier League clubs to activate by the end of mid-June. The player's father recently spoke to Sky Germany about the situation.

"Unfortunately, there are many false reports circulating about Assan. The fact is: There was never a commitment from Assan and from us to FC Bayern, although we had had a well-paid contract from FC Bayern ready for signature for months.

"The idea and perspective were more important to us than Bayern's financial means. We knew about Bayern's current situation and of course followed it closely. Bayern have now informed us openly and honestly that they do not want to afford a transfer of Assan this summer for various reasons.

"Assan recently turned 18. We're grateful and proud of the big interest in our boy. But we have a valid contract with Schalke 04 and will not make any hasty decisions. The next step is incredibly important for his personal and footballing development.

"The financial aspect is not decisive, but mainly the idea and trust of the future coach and the people in charge. We are continuing to work with Schalke 04 to find a good solution for the club and for Assan.

"Assan has Schalke in his heart, I can assure you of that. We've not yet made a commitment to any club. What we can confirm is that we have received several written offers - not only from Bayern. Many clubs, especially from the Premier League, have been very interested in Assan. There are teams from England who would like to sign Assan directly for their first team in the summer. We will make the right decision soon."

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