Aston Villa to sanction £55m Moussa Diaby exit as new Al-Ittihad transfer update emerges
Aston Villa will be willing to sanction the sale of Moussa Diaby if they are offered a fee in the region of £55million, according to Alan Hutton.
The French winger looks set to end his at Villa Park after a single season with reports suggesting Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad are confident of agreeing a deal to sign the 25-year-old [Fabrizio Romano, 17 July].
While a deal is yet to be finalised between the two clubs, Diaby is understood to be keen on making the switch to the Middle East and has already agreed personal terms ahead of the move [Gianluigi Longari, 11 July].
Although Hutton believes the French international still has more to offer in a Villa shirt, he thinks Unai Emery will be willing to let him depart this summer due to the competition for minutes at Villa Park.
“It seems like every time I read about Aston Villa, something’s happening,” Hutton exclusively told Villa News.
“Whether it be a signing, or they’re buying somebody back or they’re moving somebody on, there just always seems to be something at this moment in time.
“I think he had an in-and-out season and was a little bit inconsistent. I think there were definitely flashes there of brilliance and there were a lot of games where you didn’t see him as much as you would like to.
“I kind of compare it to how [Leon] Bailey was when he first arrived. He had a season like that and then kind of grew into the next season so I still believe there’s a lot more to come from him.
“That being said, if they were to get £55million for him I think they might take it and look to move him on.
“They’ve got a lot of options when it comes to wide players, I know he played in that number 10 role, but they have got a lot of options at this moment in time.
“If they could recoup all of that money and make a little bit more, then I think it’s a deal that might happen.”
Will Moussa Diaby exit Aston Villa amid Al-Ittihad transfer interest?
As Hutton suggests, there is plenty of competition for places in Emery’s squad at this moment in time, particularly in the wide areas as the Villans gear up for next season’s Champions League campaign.
The likes of Morgan Rogers, Bailey and Jacob Ramsey all impressed last season, while Jaden Philogene appears to be closing on a return to Villa Park after an impressive campaign with Hull City.
If the Villans can turn some sort of profit on the winger after a pretty average first season in the Premier League, they simply have to accept Al-Ittihad’s offer as that fee could fund some big additions to Emery’s ranks.
In other Aston Villa news, a summer swap deal has been mooted for Denzel Dumfries to join Emery’s side and one Villa star heads the other way
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