Aston Villa gazump Arsenal, Newcastle with record-breaking offer for 49-goal attacker Emery wants | OneFootball

Aston Villa target Moussa Diaby of Bayer Leverkusen

Aston Villa have reportedly made an improved offer for Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby, who has been linked with moves to Arsenal and Newcastle.

The 24-year-old is considered to be one of the best attacking players in the Bundesliga and Unai Emery is pushing to sign him this summer.

The manager’s influence at Aston Villa has been simply remarkable since he took the helm at the club in October last year.

When Emery arrived, the Midlands club were in danger of relegation. He ultimately guided his team to a seventh-place finish. As a result, they will be competing in Europe for the first time since 2010.

The Spaniard is now expected to be rewarded with plenty of funds to spend in the transfer window. Aston Villa have already signed highly-rated centre-back Pau Torres, for instance.

Their transfer business is far from done, though, and they are pushing hard to sign Diaby this summer.

Last week, it was reported that Aston Villa had an opening offer rejected for the France international. It wasn’t clear how much their bid was, but it was estimated to be between €30m and €47m.

Now, according to reputed transfer journalist Florian Plettenburg, the Villains have made a second offer for Diaby, to the tune of €50m (approx. £43m).

If it had been accepted, the winger would’ve become the most expensive signing in Aston Villa’s history, surpassing Emiliano Buendia, who cost £38m (with add-ons).

Leverkusen have already rejected the offer, however, and are still demanding at least €60m (approx. £51.6m) for the Frenchman.

Diaby joined the German club from Paris Saint-Germain in 2019 for €15m (approx. £12.9m).

He has since established himself as a key player in the team. He has made 172 appearances across all competitions so far, scoring 49 goals and making 48 assists. This gives him an impressive average of 0.56 goal contributions per match.

A versatile player, the 24-year-old has the ability to play as a winger on either flank or as an attacking midfielder.

As mentioned, his performances have caught the attention of Arsenal and Newcastle, but Aston Villa hold the most concrete inerest in Diaby. Saudi club Al Nassr are believed to be their closest competitors.

If he could continue his current form for Aston Villa in the Premier League, he could be a game-changing addition for Emery and his team.