Christian Purslow admits there is no quick fix for Aston Villa to bridge the revenue gap to the six biggest commercial clubs in the Premier League.

Villa’s overall revenue last season was around £387 million, up from £282 million the year before, making them one of six clubs in the top 25 revenue earners to post increases of more than £100 million.

However, revenue among Europe’s top 25 clubs remains heavily polarised, with a £307 million gap between the eighth-placed Manchester United and Villa in 13th.

That disparity helps explain why United were able to spend around £200 million on players such as Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko in the summer - despite a poor season without European qualification - while Villa were unable to spend anywhere near as heavily.

Villa’s revenue from UEFA prize money accounted for around 20 per cent of their total income after reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, where they were eliminated by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.

The club earned approximately £74 million from UEFA competitions last season, a significant increase from £14...