Aston Villa have reportedly opened talks with Al Ittihad over a potential €50m+ exit for Moussa Diaby this summer.
Speculation has been building over the 25-year-old’s future in recent days, and it appears as though he could be heading for the exit in the coming weeks.
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According to Fabrizio Romano, talks are now underway between the two clubs with an initial proposal worth €50m plus add-ons said to have been made, while Diaby is open to the move to Saudi Arabia.
Further, Sky Sport Germany’s Florian Plettenberg has reported that an agreement is possible for a fee of around €55m in total, and while he also adds that the French international is keen on the move, no agreement has been reached between Diaby and Al Ittihad as of yet.
Diaby scored 10 goals and provided nine assists in 54 appearances across all competitions last season, as although he struggled to consistently deliver, it was a more than decent return in his first year with us.
Naturally, the expectation is that he’ll build on that and improve in his second season in England, and he certainly has a key role to play for Unai Emery as we look to compete on multiple fronts for major honours.
However, based on the reports above, it seems as though the Villa boss is perhaps open to selling, which in turn would balance our books, but also provide us with significant funds to potentially continue to strengthen our squad.
It’s a summer of real change at Villa as Emery continues to mould the squad into his own and change the make-up of it in order to be competitive both domestically and in Europe, and if he feels as though we can bring in a better suited option than Diaby, a sale may well now materialise.
That said, with Emiliano Buendia, Morgan Rogers, Jacob Ramsey, Leon Bailey and others at his disposal already, it remains to be seen if we’re already set in that department, with Jaden Philogene also expected to return to the club.
While it would be a shame to see Diaby leave after just one season, if it ultimately ends up making us a stronger collective and gives Emery what he needs to take us to the next level, then it’s a sacrifice worth making.
Some will likely raise eyebrows over the fee though, as it would appear as though we’re merely getting our money back a year on, with the Guardian reporting last summer that we signed Diaby for an initial €50m, plus around €10m in add-ons. Time will tell how that proves to be an astute financial decision, but Romano has since reported that Villa want more than the initial €55m offered by Al Ittihad as talks continue.
