Aston Villa have had some disappointing moments in recent weeks after being dumped out of the semi-finals of the FA Cup by Crystal Palace and the quarter-finals of the Champions League by PSG.
The Villans will not win any silverware this season, after failing to progress further in those competitions, but they still have a chance to end the campaign on a high note.
Unai Emery’s side are currently seventh in the Premier League table, three points behind Chelsea in fifth place, and have a chance to qualify for the Champions League for the second year running.
The Villans conceded a stoppage-time goal to lose to Manchester City last time out in the top-flight, which put a dent in their hopes of finishing in the top five, but there are still four matches left to play and plenty of points to battle it out for.
If Villa can qualify for the Champions League again, NSWE could show ambition, as they did with the signings of Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford, to significantly bolster Emery’s squad in the upcoming summer transfer window.
In fact, the owners are reportedly ready to put their backing behind a deal to bring in a superstar who could be their next Jack Grealish.
Why Jack Grealish was so important for Aston Villa
The England international came up through the ranks in the Midlands before emerging as a first-team sensation at Championship and Premier League level.
Grealish produced six goals and eight assists in the 2018/19 Championship season, leading his team to promotion via the play-offs, before being an incredibly important part of their top-flight team in the following two campaigns.
Goal
8
1st
6
4th
Pass accuracy
85%
1st
83%
5th
Assists
6
1st
10
1st
Key passes *
2.5
1st
3.1
1st
Dribbles completed *
2.0
1st
2.5
1st
As you can see in the table above, the midfield wizard was crucial to Dean Smith’s side because of his ability to score and create goals at an impressive rate, which made him a hugely influential figure at the top end of the pitch.
Grealish, as evidenced by the statistics from those two seasons, was the creative hub of the team. Everything flowed through him, and the midfielder provided consistent creativity to provide his teammates with opportunities in front of goal.
The academy graduate was the biggest creative threat in the squad for Villa at the time, and NSWE could provide Emery with his own star creator by signing De Bruyne on a free transfer in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The latest on Aston Villa's interest in Kevin De Bruyne
According to Football Insider, NSWE are prepared to back an Aston Villa swoop to sign Manchester City attacking midfielder Kevin De Bruyne this summer.
The Belgium international has confirmed that he will leave the Cityzens at the end of this season, when his contract expires at The Etihad, and this means that there is an opportunity to sign a Premier League icon on a free transfer.
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Football Insider reports that the Villans are ambitious and that Emery has identified the Manchester City hero as a target for his side ahead of the 2025/26 campaign, with the owners seemingly now ready to sanction an attempt to sign him.
The outlet reveals that teams in the MLS and the Saudi Pro League are lining up lucrative offers to tempt De Bruyne to move on from England, which means that it could be a difficult deal for Villa to pull off amid significant competition from overseas.
Whilst it remains to be seen how likely a move to Villa Park is for the Manchester City superstar, NSWE could land Emery his own version of Grealish by winning the race for his signature this summer.
Why Kevin De Bruyne could be Jack Grealish 2.0
If the Villans can pull off this ambitious move for the Belgian sensation then he could come in to be the main creative outlet in the current Villa team in the 2025/26 campaign.
Despite turning 34 in June, De Bruyne still has the quality to make a significant impact at the top end of the pitch, and could hit the ground running at Villa Park next season.
The 33-year-old veteran has created a whopping 14 ‘big chances’ in 24 appearances in the Premier League so far this season, and only Youri Tielemans (16) has created more within the Villa squad – having started all 34 league matches to date.
De Bruyne, whose creative brain was described as “ridiculous” by Thierry Henry, has racked up 177 assists in 417 appearances for the Cityzens in all competitions in his career to date, the bulk of which have come in the Premier League.
The Villa target has consistently proven his ability to unlock top-flight defences with exceptional through balls, passes, and crosses to set up his teammates for ‘big chances’.
24/25
16
14
7
23/24
15
21
10
22/23
28
31
16
21/22
25
16
8
20/21
23
19
12
19/20
32
33
20
18/19
11
11
2
17/18
36
19
16
16/17
33
24
18
15/16
22
8
9
As you can see in the table above, De Bruyne has showcased remarkable consistency as a creator in the Premier League in his ten seasons at Manchester City, creating at least 11 ‘big chances’ in nine of those campaigns.
These statistics illustrate the kind of quality that NSWE would be bringing to Villa Park if they can get a deal over the line for the soon-to-be free agent in the summer, as he could come in as the main creative outlet in the middle of the park for Emery’s side.
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This means that De Bruyne could come in as Jack Grealish 2.0 for the Villans, as another mercurial talent with the ability to be a one-man show at times, creating chances at will to break teams down and contribute to big wins for the team.