Aston Villa are under no pressure to sell their best players even though financial fair play rules mean the books have to be balanced this summer.
Steve Bruce will be backed in the transfer market for signing a small number of players he has identified but funds must come from sales so Villa do not breach regulations.
Those departures will not, however, include top scorer Jonathan Kodjia or Jack Grealish unless 'ridiculous' bids are lodged for Villa's most valuable assets.
Kodjia found the net 19 times in his debut Villa season after signing for a fee potentially rising to £15m and needs to recover from a broken ankle this summer.