Aston Villa winger tempted by move to Saudi Arabia as Lions target £50m Atletico Madrid forward
Aston Villa are looking to snag the services of Atletico Madrid’s biggest star - as one of their forwards moves on for greener pastures.
Winger Moussa Diaby looks set to leave the claret and blue outfit with a switch to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia - just 12 months after moving to the Premier League. The former Bayer Leverkusen attacker scored six goals in 38 appearances, and quickly became a fan favourite for his ability to beat a defender one-on-one.
But with Diaby set to leave - and Saudi clubs paying big bucks - there could be a major influx of cash for Aston Villa, who finished fourth in the Premier League last season. As such, the club seems to be looking to assert its authority in the transfer market with the signing of a big-name star.
According to the Athletic, that big star is likely to be Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix. The 24-year-old arrived in Spain for an eye-watering €126m fee from Benfica in 2019, when he was still just a teenager. He has spent the past two seasons out on loan, first to FC Barcelona where he scored 10 goals in 44 appearances. Felix is also no stranger to the Premier League, with another loan spell at Chelsea in the 2022/23 season.
It comes as Aston Villa prepares to embark on a season of Champions League football, the first time since 1982/83 that the club has competed in the top echelon of European football. Felix’s versitility makes him an exciting prospect for Villa boss Unai Emery, who is a big fan of players who can play anywhere along the front line. For Chelsea, the Portuguese attacker played centrally. For Barca and Atletico however, he has played on both wings in a front three.
While Diaby prepares to put pen to paper on a five-year contract with Al-Ittihad, the Saudi Pro League side is also eyeing up the services of Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson. Diaby initially rejected the lucrative offers of the Saudi league to join Aston Villa last season.
Speaking to the Guardian at the time, he said: “I decided to come here for the project - in terms of Saudi, I spoke with my agent and my family but my first idea was to come here because I wanted to play against big teams and everybody knows the Premier League is the best league in the world.”
If he signs for Aston Villa, Felix is unlikely to play centrally due to the prevalence of English striker Ollie Watkins. Jamaican winger Leon Bailey is also a regular starter, but Emery’s free-flowing style of attacking football is likely to suit the Portuguese attacker very nicely indeed.