Aston Villa have found their dream Tielemans replacement

As much as supporters loathe to be reminded of it, Aston Villa have once again fallen victim to their place in the Premier League food chain in the transfer market.

Central midfield star Youri Tielemans is on the verge of a permanent transfer to rivals Manchester United, after they activated his £35m release clause at Villa Park.

The Belgium international, who joined on a free transfer from Leicester in the summer of 2023, is now completing the formalities ahead of officially being unveiled by the Red Devils.

His exit is set to be a blow for Unai Emery‘s side because he has played 132 games in three seasons for the Villans, providing 24 assists in that time.

Why Aston Villa should celebrate their sale of Youri Tielemans

Villa should celebrate this sale of Tielemans because they are raking in the seventh-highest fee ever paid for a 29-year-old, between the £49m that Atletico Madrid paid Chelsea for Diego Costa and the £31m that Roma paid Fiorentina for Gabriel Batistuta.

The club brought in from the Foxes on a free transfer three years ago, after his contract with Leicester expired, and now they are set to bring in a historically impressive fee for a player of his age.

As good as Tielemans has been for Villa, scoring ten goals to go alongside his 24 assists, the Belgian is heading towards the latter stages of his career and this may be their last opportunity to get big money for his services.

His £35m transfer to Manchester United will provide Villa with the funds to seek out a younger replacement in the middle of the park who could come in and offer more long-term value to the team.

The club are already closing in on a deal to sign Johan Manzambi from Freiburg, but it remains to be seen where he will fit in under Emery, as he has played in a deep-lying position and as an attacking midfielder in his career.

Aston Villa line up big-money Tielemans replacement

Whilst the Swiss star is an attack-minded talent, the Villans are now looking at a player who would arrive at the club as a more natural replacement for Tielemans in midfield.

TEAMtalk reports that Aston Villa are interested in a deal to sign Crystal Palace central midfielder Adam Wharton in the summer transfer window.

The outlet claims that the Villans are exploring a potential move for the England international, who did not make the squad for the World Cup, and have listed him as a target.

It adds, though, that Palace are yet to receive any approaches for the left-footed star, and that there are several other top sides keeping tabs on his situation at Selhurst Park, so it would not be an easy deal to get over the line.

Villa must now heavily pursue a move for Wharton, who has been touted at a price of £100m, because he would offer even more than Tielemans in the middle of the park for Emery’s side.

Their respective statistics in the Premier League last season suggest that they both offer a similar level of defensive quality out of possession, as they both averaged between 2.9 and 3.0 tackles and interceptions per match.

Wharton, who scored one more Premier League goals than Tielemans last term, offered far more to his team as a creative talent with the ball at his feet.

The 22-year-old starlet almost created triple as many ‘big chances’ in the top-flight in comparison to the Belgian ace, which suggests that he would provide the likes of Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers with far more opportunities to score in a Villa shirt.

Wharton is a consistent and elite creative threat who can couple solid play out of possession with brilliant and inventive play on the ball, which is why he is such a sought-after talent and why is valued at £100m by the Eagles.

As cultured as he is on the ball, the £35m Manchester United target has not been as effective as a creator for the Villans and does not offer anywhere near as much at the top end of the pitch as Wharton does.

The fact that he is seven years younger than Tielemans is the icing on the cake because he could arrive at Villa Park as an instant upgrade on the ex-Leicester star, whilst also having far more time left ahead of him to develop further.