Credit: Imago

Harri Burton

Mon 12 May 2025 16:00, UK

Youri Tielemans may have already played in Aston Villa colours for the final time as Unai Emery prepares for the summer transfer window, after a major new update.

The manager is already likely to be without Marcus Rashford for the rest of the 2024/25 campaign, and it appears that Tielemans could miss Villa’s last two Premier League matches due to a new injury.

Having stolen the spotlight during the Villans’ 1-0 win over Fulham, the 28-year-old playmaker suffered a muscle problem, handing Emery yet another blow in the quest for Champions League qualification.

Despite his absence, Villa were able to take another important step towards that goal, claiming a 1-0 win over Bournemouth on Saturday, 10 May, thanks to Ollie Watkins, but the issues don’t just stop there.

Youri Tielemans to be sacrificed by Aston Villa

Now, according to talkSPORT’s Alex Crook, via X (12 May), Al-Hilal are interested in signing the Belgian star this summer as a suitable replacement for Man United’s Bruno Fernandes, who is reportedly not for sale at Old Trafford.

Ben Jacobs backed up those claims on X (12 May), adding that the Saudi Pro League side believes a bid of between £46.3million and £50.5million would be accepted by those at Villa Park.

Tielemans, across all competitions, has five goals and 10 assists this season, adding to the 10 goal contributions from his first campaign with the Villans, while only becoming more and more important in Emery’s preferred XI.

Many supporters panicked after news of his injury blow hit the headlines, and while they have coped for a single game without his presence, the prospect of losing him permanently is even scarier.

Unai Emery to be troubled by PSR issues ahead of the summer transfer window

While the Villans supporters will be in no mood to lose one of their biggest, most important stars, Emery may have no other option but to part ways with the Belgian once Al-Hilal submit their offer.

Stefan Borson told Football Insider that Villa have a “PSR shortfall” with sales on the cards, which came after The Mail (7 May) reported that at least one significant sale needs to be made before 30 June, once again.

Douglas Luiz, Moussa Diaby and Jhon Duran have all departed in recent windows in order to avoid PSR punishments, including points deductions, while Tim Iroegbunam and Omari Kellyman have been involved in reciprocal deals with Everton and Chelsea respectively.

Tielemans could be the next out for accounting reasons and, at 28 years of age, it is not very often that Premier League clubs are given the chance to cash in so handsomely, especially on a player who signed on a free transfer just two summers ago.

It would be a huge disappointment as Villa go from strength to strength in domestic and European competitions, but with PSR rearing its ugly head, the only option may be to sell Tielemans.