Aston Villa have held early talks over potentially signing a Brazilian attacker as Unai Emery's side also continue celebrating their European triumph.

Villa lift Europa League as Emery seals another one

30 years. That is how long Aston Villa waited for a major trophy, and when it came, it came in style.

The 3-0 demolition of Freiburg in Istanbul on Wednesday night was not just a victory — it was a statement.

Youri Tielemans opened the scoring with a spectacular volley before half-time, Emiliano Buendia curled in a second soon afterwards, and Morgan Rogers added a third shortly before the hour to put the game beyond doubt.

Unai Emery, a man who has now won the Europa League five times, stood on the touchline at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium and allowed himself to smile. His project at Villa Park has delivered silverware, and there is more to come.

Champions League qualification was already wrapped up before the final, courtesy of the 4-2 Friday night demolition of Liverpool at Villa Park.

That result moved Villa into fourth on 62 points with a game to spare and rendered the final-day fixture at Man City a celebration rather than a pressure cooker.

The double achievement — Champions League football and a European trophy in the same week — is the kind of season that transforms a club's trajectory.

Emery will not stand still. The squad needs strengthening if Villa are to compete on multiple fronts next season, and the recruitment team have been working behind the scenes for weeks.

As we have already reported, Villa are pushing hard for Roma winger Matias Soule and have been heavily linked with a move for Marcus Rashford, whose situation at Barcelona remains unresolved.

The Emiliano Martínez goalkeeper saga rumbles on too, with Liverpool circling and Villa scouting Toulouse's Guillaume Restes and RC Lens' Robin Risser as potential long-term replacements.

Now, another target has entered the conversation.

Aston Villa hold early talks over deal for Southampton's Leo Scienza

According to SportsBoom, Villa have opened early discussions over a potential move for Southampton attacker Leo Scienza.

SportsBoom report that Villa's interest has progressed beyond simple scouting.

The club have already moved for the 27-year-old, who arrived at St Mary's from Bundesliga outfit Heidenheim for around £8m in September and has since established himself as one of the most creative attacking players outside the Premier League.

Eight goals and 10 assists in 44 appearances across all competitions earned him Southampton's Player of the Season award as voted by his squad, while his performances in the FA Cup — including a dazzling individual display that helped knock Arsenal out of the competition — convinced a growing number of top-flight clubs that he is ready to step up.

Southampton have placed an internal valuation of around £26m on their 'class' playmaker, though a release clause thought to be worth approximately £21m could simplify negotiations for any serious suitor.

The spygate scandal that engulfed the club this week — resulting in their expulsion from the Championship playoff final — has all but guaranteed another season in the second tier, and that changes the calculation entirely.

A player of Scienza's quality and ambition is unlikely to accept a second year in the Championship when the Premier League is calling.

Villa are not alone, though.

Tottenham, Everton, Roma and Atalanta have all been tracking the Brazilian, and several clubs from his homeland have also made contact.

That being said, Scienza is understood to favour staying in Europe, and Villa's ability to offer elite continental football, a proven development environment under Emery, and a squad genuinely competing at the top end of the English game gives them a compelling argument that few rivals can match.