Club chief discusses Villa Park future and possible naming rights deal

But the Italian promised any deal must maintain the authenticity of a stadium he described as a “cathedral of football”.

Calvo also revealed the club are seeking a training kit sponsor which could also lead to their Bodymoor Heath training base being rebranded.

Villa announced a new front-of-shirt sponsorship deal with Visit Rwanda earlier this week, while a new sleeve sponsor is also close to being agreed.

Calvo, who replaced Chris Heck as president of business operations last summer, said the aim was to maximise every possible revenue stream.

That has led to discussions over a possible rebranding of Villa Park yet Calvo, who previously worked at Juventus and Barcelona, said any deal would need to respect the club’s traditions.

He explained: “At Juventus we built a brand new stadium and destroyed the other. It was easy to give a new name to a new stadium.

“At Camp Nou we renovated it and used a prestigious brand to call it the Spotify Camp Nou, but it kept the authenticity of Camp Nou.

“At Villa Park, we need to be very careful, because it is a historic stadium and a cathedral for Villa fans.

“We need to be careful that not every partner is good for Villa Park and that Villa Park is not good for every partner. We need to be very careful when we go to the market and position ourselves.

“We have to keep the authenticity of Villa Park, even in the name. For us, Villa Park is part of our history, our present and our future. More than anything it is part of our DNA. Aston Villa would not be the same playing in a different stadium.”

To that end, Calvo explained leaving Villa Park had “never crossed his mind” while there are no plans for further expansion, once the redevelopment of the North Stand is completed next summer.

Calvo described the decision to speed up the latter work as a “no-brainer” despite the fact it will mean Villa effectively play in a three-sided stadium next season.

“I know that there is a big impact on fans and the services we can provide, and also the support fans give to the team,” he said.

“I hope that we can work with 37,000 fans to be louder and give even more support to the teams - but we will have a bigger Villa Park a year after.”

Calvo continued: “We need to build a vision. What are the next years like at Villa Park, and we need to understand how we can evolve and develop the stadium and its experience for fans.

“There is no question about Villa Park being our stadium for the future.”

Calvo’s role in boosting income is crucial in an age when larger revenues allow greater flexibility within football’s financial fair play rules.

There is a hope that new sponsorship deals, coupled with a return to the Champions League, could see revenue increase by 50 per cent next season, though it would still leave Villa lagging some way behind the Premier League’s so-called Big Six.

Asked if that gap could ever be fully closed, Calvo replied: “You want to say one day yes. There is no limit to the ambition and the hope.

“I will say it is difficult because they saturated the market to a certain extent and became the exclusive club of the big six where they have very strong commercial teams, with many brands on the side.

“The entry level with them is higher than any club in the Premier League or Europe. Closing the gap, it is extremely difficult and challenging but consistency is what makes the difference.

“Sporting performance is key, consistency is key and also sometimes thinking out of the box in a world which is very much standardised.

“All the clubs will do the same, they all hire the same people. We need to think out of the box, do things in a different way and take some risks as well.”