Following reports in May that Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce would have to lead his side to a promotion push with just a measly £1 million transfer budget, it was confirmed that Bruce would have to sell before he could buy in this summer’s transfer window.

Due to constraints set out by Financial Fair Play regulations, Villa must reign in their spending having invested heavily since their relegation to the Premier League, and Bruce must look to his squad to determine which players are disposable this summer.

Last month Bruce made the decision to transfer list French defender Jordan Amavi in order to raise the required funds to improve his squad in other areas, and the former Manchester United defender has made the correct decision in trying to move the player on.

Amavi was one of the only players to impress in Villa’s Premier League relegation campaign, and began to attract the interest of clubs in both his homeland and Spain.

Amavi has expressed an interest to play in Europe, and a move to the continent could be on the cards this summer amid reported interest from Spanish giants Sevilla.

Having a player on the books with aspirations of leaving is always a headache for any manager, but in this case, things have worked out well for Bruce.

The manager can remove a potentially disruptive player from his set up, whilst solving his problematic cash flow issues.

Amavi was hardly integral to Villa’s mid table return last season, and was one of the most inconsistent players in the squad.

With Neil Taylor an excellent replacement, Bruce has no need to reinvest the funds accrued through the sale of Amavi into the left back berth, and can instead turn his attentions to more troublesome areas of the squad.

Getting Amavi off the books and reinvesting his transfer fee should kick off Bruce’s summer, and a deal needs to be agreed with potential suitors as soon as possible.