Report: Aston Villa transfers, contract talks on hold until change of ownership is finalized

According to a report from the Mirror, no new players will be purchased and no new contracts will be offered to current members of the squad until the club has been sold. If true, this would add to the sense of urgency surrounding Aston Villa's sale as the club is in desperate need of improvements to the squad if they hope to avoid yet another relegation battle in the coming season. The block on new contracts could also be the deciding factor in determining whether Marc Albrighton leaves the club, and should the process of the sale drag into next season the future of Villa players with one year remaining on their contract-such as Fabian Delph and Gabby Agbonlahor-could be called into question as well.

The report also states that Villa have no buyers lined up, which makes any suspension of investment in the squad even more alarming. However, this contradicts President Emeritus Doug Ellis' claim that Villa have already been sold, which casts some doubt on the veracity of the Mirror's claims.

In any case, a suspension of investment prior to the sale being finalized is standard procedure in situations such as these, but given Villa's current status as prime relegation candidates the sooner things are resolved the better. If a buyer cannot be found in enough time to strengthen the squad ahead of next season Villa become a significantly less attractive investment, as the squad as currently constructed is unlikely to improve on the 2013-14 season's showing.