Aston Villa star green lights shock Saudi transfer as Unai Emery pushes for replacement

Aston Villa could reportedly sell winger Moussa Diaby to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad despite the 25-year-old joining for £48million only 12 months ago.

Villa have ambitious aims for the coming season as they prepare for their first Champions League campaign since 1983. back when it was still the European Cup.

Unai Emery will hope to replicate his team’s success in the Premier League too after they clinched a well-deserved fourth-place finish last term.

Diaby played his role in the excellent 2023/24 season by scoring 10 goals and making nine assists in 54 matches across all competitions.

Despite him putting in some great performances for Villa, transfer journalist Gianluigi Longari claims he’s ‘reached an agreement on personal terms with Al-Ittihad.

The winger has ‘given his approval’ to the move to Saudi Arabia after the wealthy side identified him as a ‘dream’ target.

It’s claimed that Al-Ittihad ‘ready to invest a sum close to €60m’ (£51m) for the 25-year-old – meaning Villa will make a very small profit from his sale.

This comes after Emery has brought in winger Samuel Iling-Junior from Juventus, while another wide man, Jaden Philogene, could be returning from Hull City to Villa Park.

Philogene could replace Diaby at Aston Villa

As previously reported by TEAMtalk, Villa have matched Ipswich Town’s £18m bid for Philogene and the 22-year-old’s next destination is down to his choice.

The Hull winger is also being chased by Everton and Crystal Palace and it isn’t clear at this stage who’ll win the race.

Philogene is a product of Villa’s academy and was sold to Hull for around £5m last summer. He was excellent in the Championship last season, scoring 12 goals and making six assists.

Diaby’s ‘agreement’ with Al-Ittihad may well have led to the Midlands club’s shock bid for their former player.

As mentioned, Diaby’s put in some good performances last season but he largely failed to live up to the hype that followed his arrival from Leverkusen.

Emery said in November that he wanted to see more from the French international, and we never really did.

“In his adaptation it’s still important to support him and try to practice with him and his team-mates in the idea we are trying to create,” Emery said.

“He’s in this process. When he’s scoring and playing matches, we are getting good performances and we are very happy.

“He can improve, he can play better and he is doing well but I want to support him and try to demand more from him because he can do it.”