Bayer Leverkusen know they have an absolute gem of a player in their ranks – and they won’t let Moussa Diaby leave for anything less than $67 million. And Aston Villa, who really, really want the Frenchman, will have to break their transfer record if they want to secure the precious signature.##NAJAVA_MECA_7370412##Unai Emery has already got a couple of proven players – Villarreal’s defender Pau Torres and Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans, but signing such a classy forward like Diaby would be a great statement of intent. The 24-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain winger has been on the radar of Premier League clubs for at least a year. Most notably, Newcastle United were persistently linked with a move for the fleet-footed player, but a concrete offer never came. Unlike the Magpies, Aston Villa has made an official offer for Diaby – although the Germans have declined the initial proposal of $50.5 million. The highest fee the Villans have ever paid for a player was the $45 million they paid to sign Emiliano Buendia from Norwich City in 2021. That fee might jump to $50+ million in case of specific bonuses, but the fee the Birmingham club would have to splash for Diaby is massive.BREAKING: Aston Villa have had an offer in the region of €45 million for Moussa Diaby rejected by Bayer Leverkusen, according to Sky In Germany ❌ pic.twitter.com/PLHzJb9Ljm— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) July 13, 2023 Emery now knows how much it would cost to sign his dream winger. Whether the club will actually go for it and table an improved offer remains to be seen.
