Aston Villa have to be smart with their money, given that they are continuing to struggle with PSR restrictions. The way around this could be to sign free agents that would improve Unai Emery’s squad, and this is something that club officials will be monitoring in the lead-up to 2026.

There will be options for Aston Villa to spend big on signings next summer, but they will be unable to make many of these without a significant sale or two. Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins would be candidates to depart, but those at Villa Park will be desperate to ensure that both players remain on their books for as long as possible.

As such, the key could be to sign free agents that strengthen the options that Emery has at his disposal.

Five players that Aston Villa could agree terms with in January

Ruben Neves in action for Al Hilal (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)

According to Birmingham World, there are five names that Aston Villa could consider as options for  a pre-contract agreement, which they can seek from the 1st of January. One of those is Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano, although it would be tricky to get him considering he is also...