Aston Villa transfer news: Villa move for prolific striker – the full story revealed, plus star duo set to sign new deals and how much Monchi can spend

These are quiet times at Aston Villa. Too quiet, some supporters might argue. It is certainly unusual to see a club who have Monchi in charge of transfers taking such a back seat during a trading period.

Monchi is a sporting director – or president of football operations, to give him his official title – who conducts a high number of transactions. Yet this summer, Villa’s sole senior addition has been Marco Bizot, a 34-year-old goalkeeper signed from Brest.

That is not to say Monchi has been kicking his heels. The new contract for Boubacar Kamara was an excellent piece of business and there are fresh deals for Lucas Digne and Morgan Rogers – who had interest from Chelsea and Arsenal – in the pipeline.

Villa have also been adding young talent from across the continent who they hope will develop into first-team players. If not, they should at least be able to sell them at a profit – vital in the PSR era for any club who cannot generate the revenue of the global giants.

Boss Unai Emery wants new players. But to do so, Villa need to sell – and so far, there have been no takers for Emi Martinez, Leon Bailey or Jacob Ramsey. The club also say Ollie Watkins is not for sale, although it will be interesting to see whether this position holds if Villa really want a new No 9.

Here Mail Sport‘s expert TOM COLLOMOSSE examines Villa’s window so far and what could happen over the next month.

What have Villa done so far?

Bizot arrived with the general expectation that he would be the back-up to Martinez. Yet Bizot was a virtual ever-present during his four seasons with French club Brest, competing in the Champions League and staying in the Netherlands squad until the end of last year.

Even allowing for the huge salary increase, would Bizot really be happy to switch from playing every week to sitting on the bench, especially with a World Cup around the corner? With Martinez’s future still uncertain, it is undoubtedly one to watch.

Villa have also added centre back Yasin Ozcan from Turkish club Kasimpasa and fellow 19-year-olds Modou Keba Cisse and and Zepiqueno Redmond from LASK Linz and Feyenoord respectively. Kaine Kesler-Hayden and Enzo Barrenechea have left along with Philippe Coutinho (finally) and Robin Olsen.

The new deal for Kamara is great news and – as Mail Sport revealed – talks are ongoing with Digne and Rogers, with both expected to sign.

What do they still need to do?

Sell players. Because of UEFA spending rules, Villa need to keep a tight control on wages and must move players on before they add to the squad.

Villa started the summer believing they would be able to sell Bailey to a club in the Saudi Pro League, but so far there has been no deal. Ramsey is an interesting one, with Emery open to all options.

The Spaniard likes the midfielder and he could extend his contract, but he has a patchy injury record and his status as a homegrown player means his sale represents pure profit in PSR calculations.

Because January loan signings Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio and Axel Disasi have not returned, Emery wants a No 9 and a versatile attacker, as well as a defender who can cover more than one role.

Is there enough budget and PSR headroom left to fill their needs?

Villa ought to be clear with PSR after they arranged to sell their women’s team to V Sports, the club’s parent company. UEFA’s squad cost ratio regulations are a different matter, however.

On July 4, Villa were fined £9.5m for breaking those rules, which allowed clubs to spend a maximum of 80 per cent of revenue on transfers and players’ costs, such as wages and agent fees. That limit has been tightened to 70 per cent from this season. Villa face a further £13m penalty if they fail to comply again.

While this will not create any immediate financial danger for the club, it certainly restricts what they can do in the market and explains why there has been relatively little activity since the end of last season.

Who are they targeting?

Mail Sport can reveal that Villa have made an enquiry for Porto forward Samu Aghehowa, who nearly joined Chelsea a year ago and is regarded as one of the most exciting No 9s in Europe.

The 21-year-old scored 27 goals in 45 matches for the Portuguese giants last season, including two against Manchester United in the Europa League, and looks ready-made for the Premier League. He has also broken into the senior Spain squad and won gold with their Under 23s at the Paris Olympics last year.

The issue for the clubs chasing him is that Porto are very exacting sellers and will set a high price. It is understood Porto president Andre Villas-Boas, the former Chelsea and Tottenham manager, would not even listen to offers that fall below the £55m initial fee that Arsenal paid Sporting CP for Viktor Gyokeres.

Without Champions League revenue, it is difficult to see how Villa would do this deal without at least one significant sale.

And who is heading for the exit?

The key competition for Villa this season is surely the Europa League and it looks like it is having an impact on exits already.

Emery has won it four times as a coach and it provides direct entry to the Champions League, regardless of performance in domestic leagues.

Given the spending of the Premier League elite this summer and the difficulty of cracking the top five, this is starting to look a very attractive option for Villa.

Villa will still listen to offers for Martinez and others mentioned earlier. They say Watkins is not for sale. Let’s see about that.

But the talks with Kamara, Digne and Rogers tell a story. This remains an excellent squad with an outstanding coach. They are proven Premier League and European competitors.

This might be the last chance for this group to make their mark on Villa’s history. The perfect way to do it would be to return to the Champions League, by picking up the club’s first major trophy since 1996.