Aston Villa transfer news as Moussa Diaby to undergo medical tests and sign contract in next 48 hours
Bayer Leverkusen forward Moussa Diaby looks set to finalise his transfer to Aston Villa within the next 48 hours, according to French outlet RMC Sport.
According to the report (20 July), Diaby should undergo his medical tests in the UK and sign the contract at Villa by the weekend in order to complete the deal worth around €40m (£34.6m) plus add-ons.
The Athletic reported on 20 July that the Villans had agreed a deal with the German club to complete their third signing of the summer after the Frenchman rejected a big-money approach from Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr [Fabrizio Romano, 20 July], and Diaby is now expected to complete the formalities of his move over the weekend.
Statement acquisition
Aston Villa have done remarkably well to pull this impressive transfer off, especially given the kind of money Diaby will have been offered by Cristiano Ronaldo’s team Al-Nassr.
But Diaby’s decision shows the kind of pull Aston Villa have right now, after also convincing the likes of Youri Tielemans and Pau Torres to join the Villa Park revolution under Unai Emery.
And the French speed wizard is a statement acquisition and just the attacking tonic Emery needs to significantly bolster his ranks at Villa Park.
Last term, the 24-year-old was in inspired form for Bayer Leverkusen, registering 14 goals and 11 assists from 48 appearances across all competitions, and Diaby is also a master of putting opportunities on a plate for his team-mates and successfully performed 143 shot-creating actions in 2022/23, as per FBRef.
The Frenchman is one of Europe’s most productive attacking young commodities, and it is easy to see why Aston Villa pushed hard for his signature, despite having two bids turned down already.
Diaby is among one of the best attacking talents in the world and to have him join Aston Villa when he will have had several offers from some of Europe’s elite must be a jaw-dropping experience for the club fans and credit to Emery for getting this impressive transfer over the line.
Villa are certainly putting their money where their mouth is this summer, and there could be more of them to come before the season opener on 12 August.
In other Aston Villa news, Ty Bracey has shared a big prediction ahead of next season.