Aston Villa arguably just enjoyed their first season in the 21st century after they secured Champions League football in the Premier League and won the Europa League.

They lifted their first major trophy since 1996 and their first European trophy since 1982 when they beat Freiburg 3-0 in the final of the Europa League last month.

Youri Tielemans played a key role in the final, scoring the opening goal, and was an instrumental part of Unai Emery's team in the middle of the park throughout the campaign.

The Belgium international, who is off to the World Cup with his country this month, started 21 times in the Premier League and seven times in the Europa League for the Villans.

In the top-flight, the experienced midfield maestro won 60% of his duels to help the team out defensively, whilst also creating four goals for his teammates, showing himself to be a complete player.

Aston Villa eyeing up move for relegated central midfielder

Tielemans, who scored a phenomenal volley against Freiburg, did miss 23 matches through injury with calf and ankle issues, though, which is slightly concerning ahead of next season.

The Villans, however, are already eyeing up a star who could come in and be an even better option than the Belgian in the middle of the park, which would alleviate any concerns about him missing games through injury.

According to Caught Offside, Aston Villa are one of a number of clubs eyeing up a move to sign West Ham United central midfielder Mateus Fernandes after their relegation to the Championship.

The report claims that the Hammers could accept offers of up to £52m for the Portugal international in the upcoming summer transfer window, which means that the Villans will have to splash the cash to bring him to the club.

It adds that Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Atletico Madrid are among the other teams looking at the former Southampton star as a possible signing for the off-season.

Caught Offside also reveals that Fernandes is interested in playing in the Champions League, which Villa can offer him, but that United have already had talks with his representatives over a potential move to Old Trafford.

Why Mateus Fernandes would be even better than Youri Tielemans for Aston Villa

Emery must push the club to beat the Red Devils to the West Ham star's signature because he would be an upgrade on Tielemans in midfield for the Villans, despite having just been relegated from the Premier League.

Ironically, it was also relegation from the Premier League for Leicester City that allowed Villa to swoop for the Belgian star back in the summer of 2023.

Now, they could raid another relegated side to bring in Fernandes to strengthen their options in midfield, as he has shown the potential to be an excellent addition to the squad.

The Portuguese starlet offered more to his side out of possession in the Premier League this season, making 3.9 tackles and interceptions per game on average.

In fact, only four players in the league, James Garner, Joao Palhinha, Joao Gomes, and Elliot Anderson, made more tackles than Fernandes (104) this season, which speaks to how combative he is in midfield.

The 21-year-old talent, who was described as a "super complete" player by scout Ben Mattinson, is similar to Tielemans in the sense that he can do a bit of everything for his team.

His return of three goals and four assists meant that he ended the season with more goal contributions than the Belgian, despite playing for a team that were relegated from the Premier League.

Fernandes is more mobile than Tielemans, as evidenced by his superior dribbling and defensive numbers, and could cover more ground in midfield, whilst still providing the quality on the ball that the experienced midfielder is known for.

At the age of 21, the Portuguese whiz is also eight years younger than the Villa star and would be a terrific signing for the club in the short-term and the long-term, as an immediate upgrade on Tielemans who also has the potential to get even better and grow in value.

The fact that he has only missed four games through injury in his first two seasons in England also suggests that he would be more reliable and less injury prone than their Belgium international, which is another reason why they must push to win the race for his signature.