Aston Villa winger Moussa Diaby is reportedly the subject of serious transfer interest from Al-Ittihad, one of the several Saudi Arabian clubs run by the same owners as Newcastle United.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) have been developing the Saudi Pro League for the last few seasons, signing some of the best players in the world to boost its reputation. Diaby could be one of the next recruited following just one campaign in England.
French publication Foot Mercato reports Al-Ittihad “absolutely want” to sign Diaby during this transfer window after hiring fellow countryman Laurent Blanc as their new head coach. Already with Karim Benzema on their books, the Jeddah-based club are eager to convince Diaby to take the plunge.
Villa’s record signing having arrived from Bayer Leverkusen for £52 million last summer, Diaby previously rejected a move to Saudi Arabia. Al-Nassr made an offer of around £34 million but didn’t even get to the stage of negotiating with Leverkusen as Diaby intervened, stating he had no interest.
A year is a long time in football, though, and Al-Ittihad are hopeful the Frenchman will have a different mindset this time around. It was a mixed first season in England, after all, as Diaby was often resorted to the bench in the latter stages.
Still, it could’ve been far worse for the 25-year-old as he scored 10 goals and made nine assists in 54 appearances across all competitions. With Champions League football to come, it’s certainly an exciting time to be a Villan but Diaby will want to be a consistent starter, not a bench warmer.
Aston Villa winger Moussa Diaby is reportedly the subject of serious transfer interest from Al-Ittihad, one of the several Saudi Arabian clubs run by the same owners as Newcastle United.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) have been developing the Saudi Pro League for the last few seasons, signing some of the best players in the world to boost its reputation. Diaby could be one of the next recruited following just one campaign in England.
French publication Foot Mercato reports Al-Ittihad “absolutely want” to sign Diaby during this transfer window after hiring fellow countryman Laurent Blanc as their new head coach. Already with Karim Benzema on their books, the Jeddah-based club are eager to convince Diaby to take the plunge.
Villa’s record signing having arrived from Bayer Leverkusen for £52 million last summer, Diaby previously rejected a move to Saudi Arabia. Al-Nassr made an offer of around £34 million but didn’t even get to the stage of negotiating with Leverkusen as Diaby intervened, stating he had no interest.
A year is a long time in football, though, and Al-Ittihad are hopeful the Frenchman will have a different mindset this time around. It was a mixed first season in England, after all, as Diaby was often resorted to the bench in the latter stages.
Still, it could’ve been far worse for the 25-year-old as he scored 10 goals and made nine assists in 54 appearances across all competitions. With Champions League football to come, it’s certainly an exciting time to be a Villan but Diaby will want to be a consistent starter, not a bench warmer.
