Aston Villa have been one of the busiest clubs in the Premier League at the start of the summer transfer window after selling three players and recruiting another five as Monchi balances the books and bids to improve Unai Emery's squad.

The club's president of football operations Monchi and director of football Damian Vidagany have been working 12-hour days at Bodymoor Heath over the last month. Douglas Luiz departed for around PS42m so the club could remain compliant with Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), while Tim Iroegbunam left for Everton for up to PS13m and Omari Kellyman signed for Chelsea in a deal worth PS19m.

Villa are expected to remain busy in the transfer market as Emery continues to shape his squad ahead of the 2024/25 Premier League season and, of course, the club's Champions League campaign.

June was always going to be a testing month for Villa, but some forward planning has actually put them in a strong position all things considered. Villa planned for Luiz's sale 18 months ago after identifying that he was the player they were willing to sell due to contract lengths and other factors, including ages.

The Brazilian was also entering the final two years of his deal this summer, meaning his value was only going to depreciate after this transfer window. Youri Tielemans and Ross Barkley have both been signed for PS5m combined, while Villa have a chunk of money left over from Luiz's sale if they wish to add to their midfield still.

Conor Gallagher is known to be a priority target for Emery, but Chelsea still want PS50m for their academy product. Gallagher has 12 months left on his current contract, but the Telegraph claim that he could be reluctant to relocate to the Midlands.

Back to the business Villa have already conducted, and it's fair to say Monchi and Vidagany have made the best out of a frustrating situation. Without Luiz in their XI, Villa are currently weaker, but after selling him, Villa have managed to sign an exciting left-back in Maatsen, who was named in the Champions League team of the season last term.

Iling-Junior is a profile of player Villa were lacking in their squad, while it was also crucial that Villa recruited an alternative to Boubacar Kamara and they now have that in 23-year-old Barrenechea. It is unclear where Dobbin fits into the first-team squad at this stage, so perhaps a loan move will be on the cards for him.

The other two sales of Iroegbunam and Kellyman brought in around PS30m for two players who weren't going to make an impact next season. Iroegbunam rarely played last season, even after the injury suffered by Kamara, while Kellyman is still only 18. Despite being regarded as one of the club's brightest talents, PS19m for an academy player is very good money for Villa's balance sheet.

Meanwhile, Villa didn't manage to conclude the sale of Jhon Duran to Chelsea. The two clubs had broadly agreed a deal worth around PS40m for the striker, but it appears to have stalled after the Blues were granted permission to speak with the 20-year-old and his representatives.

Duran has interest from elsewhere including from Bologna and West Ham, but the deal presented to Villa by Chelsea was one which Monchi wanted to close. Villa will, of course, need to source a replacement for Duran if he were to be sold this summer.

Villa have so far spent around PS70m and sold PS74m worth of players. Let's see what the rest of the window brings...