If Aston Villa enjoy any level of success at the end of this season, Lucas Digne will be a big reason why.

Capable of ending a 29-year trophy drought with a trip to Wembley in their sights, going deeper in the Champions League and even qualifying for Europe’s elite club competition once again, Villa still have it all to play for.

Their ascent under Unai Emery has been rapid, from winning eight of 10 matches at the back end of the 2022/23 season to go from the bottom half to European contenders, to then finishing fourth last term and reaching the Europa Conference League semi-finals.

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This term, Villa have struggled for consistency in the league but are still in the mix for a top five finish after Brentford on Saturday night.

A trip to Preston at the end of the month separates Villa from a return to Wembley for the FA Cup semi-finals, while they have a two-goal lead over Club Brugge in the Champions League round of 16 ahead of Wednesday’s second leg.

While injuries have impacted some results in the league in recent months, Digne has been an ever-present in the squad for league, Champions League and FA Cup fixtures, featuring in all but one league game and starting 25 of the 29 matches so far.

His level of consistency has been exceptional since the start of last season and is rarely given enough plaudits because many have now become accustomed to his assured performances.

Against Brentford, he had the unenviable task of dealing with Bryan Mbeumo, but dealt with him without any fuss. Nipping into tackles and ushering the winger away from goal, it was another impressive showing from Digne.

At 31 years of age, Digne is one of the most experienced members of Emery’s squad having joined the club from Everton in January 2022 in a move up to £25m.

But this summer, Digne is due to enter the final 12 months’ of his contract as his current deal expires in 2026.

A big decision will need to be made on his future shortly as his value is depreciating due to his contract situation.

Villa may be reluctant to offer big wages to a player who will turn 32 before the start of the new season.

Back in January 2023, the arrival of Alex Moreno from Real Betis for £13m forced Digne to make the improvements Emery highlighted to him after being replaced in the starting XI.

Following Moreno's hamstring injury at the end of the 2022/23 season, a place in the XI was Digne's to lose and he took the opportunity with both hands.

Then, Ian Maatsen joined Villa from Borussia Dortmund for £37.5m in the summer, but he has struggled for minutes due to Digne’s level of consistency.

Offering a new deal to Digne makes a whole lot of sense because of his performance levels, though Villa will need to be mindful of their wage bill as they continue to battle against the Premier League and UEFA’s financial restrictions.

According to Deloitte Football Money League, Villa’s wages stood at £256m for 2023/24. That is 96% of their total revenue for the same period.