Aston Villa have longer window to ship out attacker with Saudi clubs exploring deal

Unai Emery expects a fifth attacker to leave Aston Villa on a permanent deal this summer, with two Saudi Pro League sides exploring a deal for one of his current corps.

So far this summer, Villa have lost attacking players Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, Donyell Malen and Lewis Dobbin on permanent deals. Some of those departures will hit harder than others.

But boss Emery still expects at least one more to leave. While Tammy Abraham has rejected a move to Ipswich, Leon Bailey is reportedly likely to be shown the door.

Emery said at the weekend: “We were expecting him to leave, and it still is the same.

“When we decided we were going to the camp in Asia, he was close to leaving. But from there until now, he’s still with us here.

“Hopefully he can have one good opportunity to leave and continue his career, and this is our objective. But he’s still here with us.”

It’s likely that Bailey won’t be with Villa for much longer, but his transfer might not go through on deadline day in England.

Indeed, as per insider Jacob Tanswell, writing for The Athletic, there are two Saudi Arabian sides exploring deals for the Jamaican winger.

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Leon Bailey courted by Saudi Pro League pair

Al-Ittihad and Diriyah Club are the two Saudi sides said to be considering the signing of the Villa man, who looked like he was heading to Hull earlier in the summer.

But the Tigers couldn’t come to an agreement with Bailey on personal terms, and he’s therefore remained at Villa throughout the summer.

While the transfer window closes at 11pm on Tuesday in England – and the same for most of Europe – Saudi clubs have until September 6 to make transfers.

As such, it doesn’t matter if a deal isn’t struck in the next few hours, as an exit from Villa could take shape over the coming days.

And after newly-promoted Premier League side Hull were unable to agree personal terms with Bailey, it feels unlikely that Saudi clubs will have the same troubles.

Indeed, if he wasn’t happy with the finances on offer in Yorkshire, the Middle East clubs will be able to blow those out of the water, with the majority of players who swap Europe for Saudi Arabia being handed elevated wages.

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