Aston Villa are reportedly set to lodge a bid to try and prise Moussa Diaby away from Bayer Leverkusen this summer.
The 24-year-old came through the youth ranks at Paris Saint-Germain before moving to Germany in 2019, and he has since gone on to score 49 goals and provide 48 assists in 172 appearances for the Bundesliga outfit.
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As a natural right winger – but with the versatility to play across the pitch in the final third – it’s a position that Unai Emery has been keen to strengthen since January. In turn, Diaby could help address a key weakness in the current squad, with the Daily Mail reporting that Villa are expected to launch an opening bid to acquire his services.
It’s noted that we’re set to formalise our interest in the shape of an offer, while the French international is believed to be valued at around £50m, and so time will tell if that’s a factor that could yet scupper a potential transfer, while Leon Bailey could be used as a makeweight amid the suggestion he is available for sale this summer.
With an offer yet to be made and personal terms still to be agreed for this move to happen, it seems we are still a long way off anything concrete at this stage, but it remains to be seen if our interest is serious and whether or not we can satisfy any demands.
Having now secured the signings of Youri Tielemans and Pau Torres to strengthen our midfield and defence respectively, it seems likely that Villa will now prioritise bolstering our attack to provide support and competition for the likes of Emiliano Buendia and Ollie Watkins.
Although Bertrand Traore emerged as a short-term solution in the second half of last season to give Emery another option in that role, it was always felt that the Spanish tactician would move for his own player this summer to fit his style and system better.
Various names have been linked with us, but based on the report above, Diaby could emerge as a serious candidate in the coming days and weeks depending on how our touted offer is received by Leverkusen, and if the player himself can be convinced by a move to Villa this summer.
