Championship outfit Aston Villa will be hoping to earn promotion to the Premier League this season.
Aston Villa are paying Scott Hogan, Micah Richards and Ross McCormack over £1.5m a year as the club could have found a solution to ease their FFP worries, according to a report.
The Mirror claim that Villa could exploit a development loophole involving controversial trainline HS2 to meet Financial Fair Play rules.
It is said that the Midlands outfit will fall foul of FFP regulations if they fail to earn promotion as the club’s decision-makers have a couple of get-outs to ease their current problems.
Dean Smith’s side, who were knocked out of the FA Cup at the hands of Swansea City on Saturday afternoon, are currently sitting outside of the play-off places.
The report details that HS2, which is expected to cut through the club’s Bodymoor Heath training ground, has presented Villa with an opportunity to sell off the complex, which would count towards income and can be offset against any losses.
Following Villa’s relegation to the second tier of English football in 2016, they went down the route of adding a number of big-name and big-money signings to their squad to earn promotion back to the promised land.
Some of those players included the likes of John Terry, McCormack, Yannick Bolasie, Hogan and Robert Snodgrass – some are either still at the club or have left.
The report claims that senior trio Hogan, Richards and McCormack are being paid over £1.5 million a year to sit on the sidelines.
Hogan is yet to start a Championship game this season, while Richards and McCormack have played less than 30 league games between them since Villa’s relegation.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
