Aston Villa star Leon Bailey could be sold in the summer transfer window as part of Unai Emery's plans for the squad, journalist Dean Jones has claimed.
What's going on with Bailey?
The 25-year-old has had a fairly poor season, scoring just four times in 30 Premier League appearances, as Villa transformed from relegation candidates to European contenders under Emery.
The winger has not scored since January, and given that he is on a wage of £100k-per-week, he could be sold this summer to allow Emery to sign his own desired players.
Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones claimed that Bailey, alongside Phillippe Coutinho, could be shown the exit door in what could be a busy transfer window for Villa.
"These are the two players I feel potentially most at threat in this team, to be honest. So it'll be interesting to see what happens when they return," he stated.
"What opportunities will they get and will they take them? Because I think if you're going to look to reshape this squad, then you've got to consider whether Bailey and Coutinho definitely fit in with the way that this team is heading. So yeah, this will be interesting."
Should Villa sell Bailey?
The Jamaican winger, who Emery has hailed as "world class", arrived with a lot of hype from Bayer Leverkusen, but has failed to stand out for most of his Villa career, and with the team unexpectedly rising up the table, they could move on from him in favour of higher-level players.
They have been linked with sensational moves for Dusan Vlahovic and Ferran Torres, and if they need to clear out the squad to make space for these high-profile arrivals, Bailey could be happily sacrificed given his lack of goals in recent months.
Villa look set to appoint Barcelona director Mateu Alemany, who could help oversee some big transfers, and this may spell bad news for Bailey as the likes of Torres could arrive with the Spaniard helping Emery attract stars to Villa Park.
Emery recently admitted his disappointment with Bailey, claiming that his performances have "not been consistent," and this frustration may mean that his patience soon runs out, and the winger departs.
It seems that there is going to be a lot of activity at Villa, particularly if they can qualify for European football, and Emery could oversee some major outgoings in his plans to continue Villa's revival under his management.
