The bargain £34m double Aston Villa deal that would take Champions League contenders to the next level

Aston Villa will be determined to kick on and soar to new heights next season after enjoying another scintillating campaign under Unai Emery.

The Villans reached the last eight of the UEFA Champions League at the first time of asking and were only narrowly knocked out by competition favourites Paris Saint-Germain, losing 5-4 on aggregate. Villa also reached the FA Cup semi-finals but were knocked out by Crystal Palace in a 3-0 defeat at Wembley. There’s still plenty to play for in the Premier League, too, with Champions League qualification a possibility.

Although much of Emery’s focus will be on finishing the current season on a high, the Spaniard - aided by president of football operations, Monchi - will already have one eye on summer transfer business. Should the club spend a large chunk of its budget on making Marcus Rashford’s loan from Manchester United permanent for £40 million? Or should those funds be shared out elsewhere?

The likelihood, as it stands, is that Rashford doesn’t sign on for the long term. It’s still definitely a possibility, but he will only join if Villa qualify for the Champions League and if he reduces his wage demands. As a result, Villa will already be looking at alternatives, as well as other positions they can strengthen.

Aston Villa could complete £33m centre-back signing

Emery is assessing his options as he seeks to bolster his back line, which for much of this campaign has lacked depth and quality. Injuries have taken hold at awkward times, with the brutal fixture schedule exposing weaknesses at centre-back and right-back.

Pau Torres, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings and Matty Cash have all been sidelined at various points in the past few months, making it very difficult for Emery to rotate when he desired. With games every three or four days for several weeks in succession, January and February proved to be particularly testing.

Andres Garcia signing in January, Axel Disasi coming in on loan from Chelsea and Lamare Bogarde proving his versatility have helped at right-back especially but Emery will still want better assurances over depth. Centre-half is definitely still an area of weakness when one of Pau or Konsa are unavailable, so a summer addition is looking likely.

It was reported at the start of March that Wolfsburg star Konstantinos Koulierakis is one transfer target Villa are considering ahead of the next transfer window. There’s a long list of other clubs keen, too, with Liverpool and Crystal Palace among the Premier League sides taking a look.

It’s been a rapid rise for Koulierakis, who only joined Wolfsburg from Greek Super League side PAOK Thessaloniki last summer for around £10 million. The 21-year-old, already a 13-time Greece international, has started 25 of Wolfsburg’s 31 Bundesliga matches this season, helping keep six clean sheets – including against Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen.

It’s also claimed that scouts from AC Milan and Real Madrid have watched Koulierakis in action this season, broadening the young centre-half’s horizons if he doesn’t fancy a move to England. It’s suggested Koulierakis is willing to listen to offers and would be available for around €40 million (£34m).

Kevin De Bruyne swoop could take Aston Villa to next level

Another, even more exciting deal Villa could pull off is the signing of Manchester City legend Kevin De Bruyne. It may seem like a long shot, and it probably is given the interest he will be generating from across the world, but Villa have already discussed the possibility of bringing in City’s number 17.

Six times a Premier League champion and once a Champions League winner, De Bruyne is leaving the Etihad Stadium upon the expiry of his contract this summer. The 109-time Belgium international departs with 107 goals and 177 assists in 417 appearances for Man City, with 71 of those goals and 120 of those assists coming in the Premier League.

De Bruyne wouldn’t cost Villa any transfer fee whatsoever as he will become a free agent, but he and his agent would likely demand a significant signing-on bonus. The 33-year-old would probably also ask for a substantial weekly wage.

Villa must decide whether all factors at play - especially financially - are worth it, but the chance to bring in a player of De Bruyne’s quality doesn’t come around often, if ever. He could well and truly take Emery’s side to the next level.