Aston Villa

Aston Villa

Premier League • England

Aston Villa stun Newcastle with tempting offer for attacker with 81 goal contributions in three seasons

Bayer Leverkusen forward Moussa Diaby

Aston Villa have thundered in with a bid to sign known Newcastle target, Moussa Diaby, and the Frenchman’s thoughts on moving to Villa Park have emerged in a report.

Arsenal and Newcastle are the English sides who’ve drawn the most frequent links with Diaby in recent times. However, with the Gunners signing Trossard in January and Reiss Nelson penning a new deal, a Diaby move was put on the backburner.

That left the door ajar for Newcastle who are seeking an upgrade on Allan Saint-Maximin this summer. The Magpies will grace the Champions League for the first time since 2003 next year and require widemen with superior end product.

Diaby certainly fits that bill having notched an incredible 81 goal contributions over the last three seasons with Bayer Leverkusen.

Even more remarkable is his consistency, with Diaby hitting double figures in both goals and assists in each of the last three campaigns.

However, with Newcastle turning their attention to Leicester’s Harvey Barnes instead, they too have left the path clear for another to strike.

According to French outlet L’Equipe, Aston Villa required no second invitation and have opened the bidding for Diaby.

As cited by Get French Football News, it’s revealed Villa’s offer is considered a ‘good starting point’ by Leverkusen. The value of the bid hasn’t yet been revealed, though early indications suggest it’s certainly got Leverkusen’s attention.

On that front, the German side are reportedly open to cashing in for the right price this summer.

The Daily Mail recently reported Leverkusen quoted Villa an asking price of £51m (€60m) for the 24-year-old. Such a price – or even one that comes close to that sum – would smash Villa’s transfer record.

The £38m paid to sign Emiliano Buendia from Norwich remains Villa’s biggest buy to date.

Would Diaby say yes to Aston Villa?

On the subject of whether Diaby would be willing to join Villa, L’Equipe suggest the news is mixed.

Firstly, the lack of Champions League football could be an issue. However, Leverkusen only finished sixth last season anyway, meaning UCL football wouldn’t be on offer if he stayed. It’d be a different story if joining Newcastle who will return to European football’s top table next season.

In any case, UCL football won’t be the only factor swaying Diaby’s thinking. His international ambitions with France at Euro 2024 are also in play.

To ensure he makes the cut and features ahead of the likes of Marcus Thuram and Randal Kolo Muani, Diaby knows he must play regularly next season.

While Villa are certainly a club on the up, it stands to reason Diaby would walk into Unai Emery’s strongest eleven without delay.

Another club hovering over Diaby is Serie A champions Napoli. However, in another indication of just how financially strong the Premier League is, it’s claimed Napoli won’t be able to match Villa when it comes to hard numbers.

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