Report: Aston Villa to only sell James Chester as last resort

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Aston Villa defender James Chester has been linked with a move away from Villa Park this summer.

According to a report from the Express and Star, James Chester will only be sold by Aston Villa this summer as a last resort despite the club’s need to raise funds to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations.

In the wake of Villa’s play-off final defeat, Tony Xia reportedly needs to raise £40 million to comply with the regulations, and the Express and Star reports that selling Jack Grealish is expected to raise much of those funds – and Chester had also been linked with the exit.

The Express and Star reports that Stoke and Brighton are monitoring the centre-back’s situation, but Villa have little intention of selling the Wales international as it is not expected that cashing in would make a major difference on their situation.

The Express and Star adds that Villa are still paying West Brom as part of the agreement that saw the defender move for £8 million in 2016, and thus, they do not believe that there is much point in selling Chester during this window.

It would certainly be a huge boost for the Villans if they managed to keep the 29-year-old in their ranks for next season, especially after John Terry’s spell with the club came to an end.

Chester has been a superb signing for Villa and Steve Bruce will need the defender to galvanise the group as they attempt to secure promotion at the third attempt next season off the back of what looks set to be an extremely difficult summer for the side to negotiate.