Aston Villa has reportedly secured substantial financial benefits from the transfer of Jaden Philogene to Ipswich Town, with estimates suggesting profits could reach £7.5 million. This assessment comes from finance expert Stefan Borson, who shared insights during an exclusive interview with Football Insider, emphasising the advantageous nature of the deal for the West Midlands club following Philogene's second departure.
Philogene's journey began with his initial sale to Hull City in September 2023 for approximately £5 million. Last summer, Ipswich Town had a bid of £18 million accepted for the 22-year-old, but Aston Villa opted to exercise a buy-back clause, matching that offer. Importantly, Villa retained a 30 per cent sell-on clause from the original sale to Hull, which meant they needed to pay £13.5 million to bring Philogene back to Villa Park.
Despite the optimism surrounding his return, Philogene struggled to make a significant impact at Villa, starting just four of his 15 appearances in the current season. Consequently, he transitioned to Ipswich in a deal valued at £20 million on 15 January. Borson suggested that Villa's decision to re-sign Philogene last summer was motivated by a desire to assess his potential more thoroughly. He remarked, "They have probably made about £5 million from a PSR perspective by the time everything is done and dusted, maybe a little bit more at around £7.5 million. It's a good deal for them. You will see a lot of these situations where there is a buy-back clause."
Borson further elaborated on the intricacies of buy-back clauses, stating, "You have got two options with them, either you exercise the clause and then sell him on and take the profit if you don't want the player or you do a deal with the selling club, whereby the selling club pays a fee to buy you out of that right. In the case of Hull, maybe they could have said 'We will give you £7.5 million, but we are selling him to Ipswich for £20 million rather than back to Villa.' It could have worked like that, but maybe Villa thought they would have a close look at him and see whether he could work there."
In related news, Celtic has emerged as a potential suitor for another promising player from Aston Villa, highlighting the ongoing interest in the club's young talents. As developments continue to unfold regarding Aston Villa, supporters are encouraged to stay informed through various platforms for the latest updates.