Aston Villa ‘getting serious’ in pursuit of electric Newcastle, Arsenal target; record-breaking bid required
Aston Villa are reportedly ‘getting serious’ in their pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby, who is a target for Newcastle and Arsenal.
The France international is considered to be one of the best attacking players in the Bundesliga and Unai Emery is pushing to sign him this summer.
The manager’s influence at Aston Villa has been simply remarkable since he took the helm at the club in October last year.
When Emery arrived, the Midlands club were in danger of relegation, but he ultimately guided his team to an impressive seventh-place finish. As a result, they will be competing in Europe for the first time since 2010.
The Spaniard is now expected to be rewarded with plenty of funds to spend in the transfer window. Aston Villa have already signed highly-rated centre-back Pau Torres, for instance.
The Villains’ transfer business is far from done, though.
Last week, it was suggested that they had made an offer for Diaby. Figures mentioned varied from less than €30m to a deal worth around €47m. This didn’t please Leverkusen, who want €60m (approx. £51.5m).
German outlet Rheinische Post has since confirmed that Aston Villa’s bid has been rejected. They add that ‘it is still possible’ that Diaby could leave, with the Midlands club ‘getting serious’ in their efforts to sign him.
Aston Villa will have to ‘dig deeper into their pockets’ to seal a deal for Diaby this summer, though.
The France international joined Leverkusen from Paris Saint-Germain in 2019 for €15m (approx. £12.9m).
Diaby has since established himself as a key player for the German club. He has made 172 appearances across all competitions so far, scoring 49 goals and making 48 assists. This gives him an impressive average of 0.56 goal contributions per match.
A versatile player, the 24-year-old has the ability to play as a winger on either flank or as an attacking midfielder.
If he can continue his current form for Aston Villa in the Premier League, Diaby could be a game-changing addition for Emery and his team.
As mentioned, Newcastle and Arsenal are both admirers of the attacker, too. It seems Aston Villa are leading the race for his signature, though.
They may still have to stump up a club record fee for Diaby. The current holder of that record is Emiliano Buendia, who arrived at Villa Park for £38m in 2021.
Leverkusen are still holding out for €60m (£51.5m) for the Frenchman, so Aston Villa will have to put their money where their mouth is to get a deal over the line.
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