Moussa Diaby looks destined to secure a move to Saudi Arabia this summer with Aston Villa willing to sanction the sale.
Unai Emery has been fully focused on incomings in the past few weeks after Aston Villa appear to have successfully complied with Premier League spending rules.
This came at a cost, with Tim Iroegbunam, Omari Kellyman and, crucially, Doulas Luiz all sold, but since the 30th June PSR deadline has passed Villa have been wasting no time in strengthening their squad.
Emery has welcomed six new arrivals already this summer, with Everton’s Amadou Onana set to become the seventh, as the Spanish coach builds a squad capable of competing in the Champions League.
One player that may not be there for the journey is Moussa Diaby.
The Frenchman is the subject of intense interest from Saudi Arabia and Villa appear happy to sanction a sale for the 25-year-old if their £60 million valuation is met.
Moussa Diaby reaction to being dropped could hint at why Aston Villa happy to sell
Villa beat interest from Saudi to sign Diaby last summer, breaking their transfer record to seal a £51.9 million move from Bayer Leverkusen.
The Frenchman had an electric start to life at Villa Park, scoring two and assisting one in his first three games, but did not continue his early form throughout the season.
Diaby still had a decent first season in England, though, scoring ten and assisting nine in all competitions whilst striking up an effective partnership with Ollie Watkins.
It may seem strange, then, that Villa are willing to sell the winger turned forward after just one season; especially when they will be playing in the Champions League next season.
However, Diaby’s reaction to being left out of the starting line-up in a crucial double-header against Arsenal and Manchester City in December could be a clue as to why Emery is happy to allow him to leave.
According to The Athletic: ‘His [Diaby’s] stock fell sharply, going from an integral creative hub to a peripheral starter before being left out of December’s home double-header against Manchester City and Arsenal’.
The report goes on to add: ‘Diaby did not take the omission well.
The day after being left out of Villa’s win against Man City, an interview arranged with Diaby for a foreign broadcaster, who had flown to Birmingham, was shelved at the last minute. He is a player who is strong-willed and can rile against criticism’.
Emery will want squad all pulling in the same direction and Villa have built their recent success on the collective efforts of the team rather than on individuals, so it is perhaps unsurprising a sale could be allowed.
Diaby pushing for Saudi Arabia transfer
It is not just the fact that there is interest from Saudi Arabia that is tempting Villa to sell, but the fact that the player himself has given the move the green light.
It is Al-Ittihad who are the interested club and linking up with the French contingent of Karim Benzema, N’golo Kante and manager Laurent Blanc is proving tempting for the 25-year-old.
If Villa can get £60 million for his signature, that money can immediately be reinvested into the squad with players who want to be at Villa Park and Emery is likely to much prefer that solution.
Diaby is a talent and would likely only improve after his first season at the club, but Villa fans may not be too gutted to see him leave provided he is adequately replaced.
