Aston Villa will have to pay out a total of around £4m to a number of unwanted first-team members if they achieve promotion to the Premier League later this month in the play-off final.
According to the Daily Mirror, cited by talkSPORT, the club will have to increase the wages of Ross McCormack, Scott Hogan, Gary Gardner, James Bree and Henri Lansbury if they defeat Frank Lampard’s Derby County at Wembley.
The five named have made a total of total of 17 league appearances between them this season, with Lansbury the only player not out on loan.
Striker McCormack will see his wage go up to a remarkable £70,000-a-week if Dean Smith’s side earn promotion, with the 32-year-old last featuring for the club in 2017.
Hogan has spent the second half of the campaign with Sheffield United, while Bree turned out for relegated Ipswich Town and Gardner spent the season on loan at rivals Birmingham City.
The club may also find it difficult to ship the quintet out in the summer due to their high wages.
The Championship play-off final is reportedly the most lucrative in football, and Villa may see themselves spending a share of the earnings on unwanted members of the first-team squad.
