Luiz, Abraham, Duran - Aston Villa transfer state of play as summer window opens

Aston Villa have been one of the busiest Premier League clubs in the lead up to the summer transfer window, which officially opened today.

Douglas Luiz and Jhon Duran both appear to be heading for exits before the end of the month given the strain on Villa caused by Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSRs). Last month, Unai Emery admitted Villa would have to be "intelligent" in the market and that the club would have to balance their books before spending money themselves.

Ross Barkley is expected to seal a move to Villa after they reportedly agreed a £5m fee with Luton Town for the midfielder. Two more players are due to arrive at Villa shortly as part of the transaction which will see Luiz join Juventus.

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The Italian giants will pay €20m for Luiz, with Weston McKennie and Samuel Iling-Junior heading to Villa as part of the deal. Talks over contract details for all three players are nearing a conclusion.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are locked in negotiations with Villa for Colombia international Duran, who wants to leave for Stamford Bridge this summer. The striker is valued at £40m, but Fabrizio Romano claims the deal may have to include a Chelsea player too.

Matty Cash is courting interest from AC Milan, but Villa's £30m valuation of the right-back is proving to be a stumbling block. The Serie A side are currently unwilling to match Villa's price tag for the 26-year-old.

Calum Chambers will be allowed to leave Villa this summer, while Villa will also listen to offers for Diego Carlos. The 31-year-old joined Villa two years ago, but he is one of the club's highest earners.

The summer transfer window will close on August 30 at 11pm UK time in England, leaving plenty of time for clubs to get their business done. The Premier League and Scottish Premiership brought forward deadline day to ensure harmonisation with the major leagues in Europe. The closing dates were set following discussions with the leagues in England, Germany, Italy, Spain and France.

Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher is a priority for Emery this summer, but he could cost up to £50m despite only having a year left to run on his current deal. Gallagher, who also has interest from Tottenham and Atletico Madrid, was asked about his future at an England press conference on Thursday afternoon.

"I’ve just been focusing on England and this is the most important thing right now, for me and the country," he said. "I just want to start the tournament now.

"I’ve come a long way this season. I give a lot of credit to Pochettino and for what he did for me. He gave me responsibility and trust at Chelsea and, like I said, it puts me in a better position to be part of the team in this tournament. I will do everything I can to help the team as much as possible."

Asked how he felt once Mauricio Pochettino left Chelsea, Gallagher said: "He did so much for me so I was sad for him and sad for the coaching staff. I’m really excited about the new manager coming in and myself and everyone at Chelsea are really excited to work with him. I am a Chelsea player right now and now I am just thinking about England and the tournament."

Qualifying for the Champions League certainly helps Villa's financial outlook, but it was never going to be a silver bullet for the club's position regarding PSR. Speaking about it last month, Emery explained: "Of course the Champions League helps us, to increase our level, our demands and objectives for next year.

"To play Champions League for the players is something they like. The players we have here and in case we want to add players, to show them our objective, maybe it could help. But we have to be intelligent. We must arrange at the beginning the fair play and through that to try and be intelligent to try and build a new team. More or less we are not thinking to add or sign a lot of players.

"We are trying to be intelligent, how we can improve the squad with some players. Of course, we are going to be very demanding in getting the best possible to improve the squad. But we have to work now, deeply analysing it."

He added: "Financially, being in the Champions League is better than not. Our budget could be better, but we have to manage at the beginning the fair play for this season, then we can build. I think we can be intelligent and build a strong team to compete in the Champions League, the Premier League and the cups."

If Duran were to depart to Chelsea for roughly £40m - the price Villa want - then the Blues would've paid around £60m combined on the 20-year-old and Villa academy graduate Carney Chukwuemeka. One of Chelsea's own, Tammy Abraham is reportedly available this summer, which has piqued the interest of some Premier League clubs.

The Telegraph have reported that Villa are aware Abraham could be attainable this summer, but are only likely to start seriously trying to fill the striker position if Duran completes his move to west London.

Additions in defence could depend on outgoings. While Lucas Digne enjoyed his best season in claret and blue, he is one of the club's highest earners, while reports in Spain indicate that Alex Moreno could receive offers from La Liga.

At right-back, it will be interesting to see whether Kosta Nedeljkovic earns a place in the first-team or if he is sent out on loan again after signing a long-term deal with Villa back in January. Meanwhile, Villa want to keep Cash, but every player has their value.

Elsewhere, L'Equipe claim Villa have joined the race to sign OGC Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo this summer. The 24-year-old is also said to be of interest to a number of clubs including Manchester United, Tottenham, Napoli and Atletico Madrid. He could be available for €25m.

Villa have already done the groundwork on a number of targets and are well prepared for the summer window. The club's president of football operations Monchi will work around the clock to ensure Emery gets the targets he wants.

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