Moussa Diaby is on the verge of exiting Aston Villa and Unai Emery has lined up a ‘different class’ replacement for the 25-year-old.
Aston Villa acted quickly early on in the transfer window to resolve their PSR concerns. The major player sale they were forced into was Douglas Luiz.
The Brazilian joined Juventus while Enzo Barrenchea and Samuel Iling-Junior moved in the other direction, but Luiz isn’t the only player on his way out of Villa Park.
Saudi interest recently emerged in Moussa Diaby, who arrived as a club-record signing from Bayer Leverkusen in 2023.
Al-Ittihad have emerged as clear favourites to sign the Frenchman, reaching a ‘total agreement’ with the player and club ahead of a £50m transfer.
Diaby’s preferred destination is to join Didier Deschamps and the likes of Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante at Al-Ittihad, so Villa must find a replacement.
Aston Villa want Tottenham winger Dejan Kulusevski to replace Moussa Diaby
According to Football Transfers, Aston Villa are keen on Tottenham winger Dejan Kulusevki as a Diaby replacement.
The report claims that Spurs sporting director, Johan Lange, has initiated discussions over the price and availability of Wolves winger Pedro Neto.
Indeed, a move for the Portuguese superstar could create a domino effect, allowing Villa to swoop in for the Swedish international, who sees his contract in North London expire next summer.
While no price tag has been placed on Kulusevski, who has been dubbed ‘different class’ by Ally McCoist, he could serve as an upgrade on the departing Diaby.
How Dejan Kulusevski compares against Moussa Diaby
Kulusevski enjoyed a decent first campaign under Ange Postecoglu, recording eight goals and three assists in the Premier League.
The 24-year-old uses his speed, agility and devastating left foot to torment opposition defences and according to the statistics, as per FBref, the Swedish superstar beats Diaby across multiple attacking metrics.
| Premier League 23/24 statistics | Dejan Kulusevski | Moussa Diaby |
| Goals | 8 | 6 |
| Assists | 3 | 8 |
| Progressive passes | 4.69 | 2.98 |
| Progressive carries | 4.92 | 3.89 |
| Successful take-ons | 1.76 | 1.20 |
| Touches (att pen.) | 7.36 | 5.63 |
| Passes into the penalty area | 2.38 | 1.66 |
| Progressive passes received | 12.64 | 7.58 |
Indeed, looking at the above table, Kulusevski is an upgrade in almost every department, from his ability to beat a man and create opportunities in dangerous positions.
Therefore, if Villa can land the fleet-footed winger on a cut-price deal from a European rival, they’ll be significantly strengthening their squad ahead of the Champions League.
