Aston Villa are gaining momentum ahead of their first-leg quarterfinal clash with Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League.

On Wednesday, Unai Emery and his team played one of two matches before their trip to Paris next week. Villa made the journey to American Express Stadium to face Brighton & Hove Albion.

The Lions came away with a strong 3-0 victory, setting them up for their weekend match against Nottingham Forest before shifting focus to PSG.

However, PSG should be worried about one player: Marco Asensio, who has been in fine form under Emery.

Asensio’s loan deal doesn’t give Aston Villa an option to make the move permanent. Still, according to Estadio Deportivo, Emery has instructed sporting director Monchi to do whatever it takes to sign him.

The 29-year-old, who previously played for Real Madrid, reportedly has a €15 million (£13 million) release clause, which shouldn’t be a major hurdle for the Premier League club.

Asensio continued his strong loan spell at Aston Villa, scoring the team’s second goal to give them a 2-0 lead. The Spaniard linked up with Morgan Rogers to extend their advantage.

Asensio had scored seven goals in 47 official matches for PSG. Since moving to Aston Villa, however, he’s found the back of the net eight times in just 10 games.