Leon Bailey could be in line to leave Aston Villa this summer.
According to the Daily Mail’s Transfer Confidential, Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey is attracting interest from Saudi Arabian outfit Al Nassr. It is thought that Unai Emery may be willing to move the attacker on, following the club’s recent capture of Moussa Diaby, and Bailey’s inconsistency.
Inconsistency has dogged Bailey since his £25 million move to Villa Park in the summer of 2021. The 25-year-old has netted 5 times across 51 Premier League appearances for Villa. Whilst he has blistering pace and vast talent, he can be incredibly wasteful in front of goal, and regularly makes poor decisions in the final third.
Bailey can’t take Aston Villa forward
Bailey has played a big part in getting Villa to where they are – with European competition set to return to the Midlands club this season. However, bringing in players who can reliably make the right choices on the pitch, and be clinical in the box, is the difference between where Villa are now, and where Emery wants them to go. The Spanish coach will hope that Diaby, as an upgrade on Bailey, can help them take that next step forward this season. In the meantime, Bailey has probably hit his ceiling.
The Villans would likely be perfectly happy to keep Bailey. The 24-cap Jamaica international would be a useful option for squad depth. However, if a sizeable offer comes in from the Saudi Arabian club then it may well prove too good to refuse. That money could then be reinvested elsewhere in the squad.
