Credit: Imago

Cameron Smith

Wed 8 April 2026 7:00, UK

Aston Villa are set to fight to keep hold of midfielder Youri Tielemans over the summer.

With the Belgian’s contract running until 2028, The Athletic reports that the dream scenario for the Villans is for Tielemans to guide them back to the Champions League under Unai Emery.

The midfielder joined back in 2023, making the move from Leicester on a bargain free transfer.

Since then, his importance has continued to grow at Villa Park, with supporters realising just how integral he is during his spell on the sidelines in the early stages of the calendar year.

Financially, Champions League qualification is imperative for Villa – even more so for Tielemans, who would be one of the first names thought of regarding a potential sale should they fail to secure a spot.

Champions League football is imperative for Aston Villa to keep hold of Youri Tielemans

Aston Villa’s finances have come under scrutiny for large parts of recent years, with the Midlanders striving to consistently challenge at the top end of the Premier League.

With this in mind, revenue from the Champions League is ever so crucial.

Qualification for the competition brings in around £16million, while their run to the quarter-finals last term saw the tally hit an estimated £73.1m.

As seen in the table above, if Emery’s side were to win the Europa League, the estimated total income would not even be half of that racked up in the Champions League last term – emphasising just what Europe’s premier competition can bring.

Regarding Tielemans, he is one of Villa’s biggest financial assets alongside Morgan Rogers. The difference is that the Belgian arrived on a free transfer three years ago.

Anything brought in when it comes to a transfer fee would be pure profit, while he would not be short of suitors across both the continent and the Saudi Pro League.

When it comes to keeping hold of their top talents over the summer, Champions League football is simply a must for Villa.

Youri Tielemans the missing piece of the jigsaw in Aston Villa Champions League battle

Tielemans’ time out on the sidelines proved just how vital he is to the system imposed by Emery, with performance level dropping even further with both John McGinn and Boubacar Kamara also out.

Tielemans, though, is the beating heart in the middle of the park for the Villans.

Throughout the poor spell in February and early March, the B6 outfit were slow, ponderous, and without any real quality coming out of midfield.

Results during this time saw the grip on a Champions League place loosen, before a win against West Ham on the eve of the international break restored some form.

Returning from the international break, Emery has both Tielemans and McGinn in form – both of whom will continue to make a huge difference as the season hits the crunch point.

The 28-year-old Belgian is back with his tempo-controlling abilities, while the non-stop energy of McGinn will take some of the attacking burden off the shoulders of Rogers.

Tielemans is the controlling influence that Villa need as they look to reach the Champions League, and this could be the factor that has the biggest say when it comes to his future – something that Villa fans will be pleased about as they plan to continue watching him at the heart of their midfield.