Aston Villa close in on Chris Heck replacement
Villa are expected to appoint Francesco Calvo as their new president of business operations.
The Italian is poised to join from Juventus and will replace Chris Heck in the role, with the latter leaving Villa Park at the end of the month.
Calvo, who has been Juve’s managing director of revenue and football management since 2022, will be tasked with increasing income as they aim to continue competing against the Premier League and Europe’s elite.
This season’s run to the quarter-finals of the Champions League has boosted revenues by around £100million but the club still lag behind the established Premier League's Big Six.
Calvo was previously commercial director of Juventus between 2011 and 2014, before being promoted to chief revenue officer.
He then held the same role at Barcelona and later became chief operating officer with Roma, where he worked alongside Villa's current president of football operations, Monchi.
Calvo has been a key figure in Juve's senior management team and will now be in charge of leading Villa's commercial and marketing departments.
Heck has been in that role for the past two years and can claim to have enjoyed some success, with the club's revenues having increased significantly during his tenure.
But the American has proven a divisive figure among supporters, who have become frustrated with several issues including rising ticket prices and a perceived lack of communication.
