Aston Villa fans could be swayed to change their viewpoint on the sale of Moussa Diaby, with the Frenchman all but set to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad in the coming days – with Fabrizio Romano linking them with Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid.
Felix spent last season on loan at Barcelona, scoring 10 goals in 44 games for the Blaugrana as they finished second in La Liga behind bitter rivals Real Madrid. Heading back to the capital to continue his time at Atletico, there has been vast speculation surrounding his future this summer – and according to Romano, he has now cropped up on Villa’s radar after being ‘appreciated’ by boss Unai Emery.
Villa ‘Appreciate’ Joao Felix
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Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Romano stated that Felix is a player ‘appreciated’ by Emery – and with Diaby all but set to depart Villa Park after just one season in the West Midlands, he could be a direct replacement for the Frenchman.
The deal is considered to be ‘extremely difficult’ given the huge fees that have bandied about for Felix in the past, including his record-breaking £113million deal from Benfica to Atletico Madrid – but Villa are considering the signing of the ‘world class’ Portuguese star after their sale of Diaby which could go through this week.
Barcelona, meanwhile, are in the race for last season’s loan star, but their full focus in on Spain’s EURO 2024 star Nico Williams – who is one of the most sought-after players in Europe after a superb tournament and season with Athletic Bilbao.
Moussa Diaby’s Premier League statistics – Aston Villa squad ranking | ||
|---|---|---|
Stats | Output | Squad rank |
Appearances | 38 | 1st |
Goals | 6 | =4th |
Assists | 8 | 3rd |
Dribbles Per Game | 0.8 | 5th |
Key Passes Per Game | 1.2 | =4th |
Match rating | 6.65 | 11th |
Villa will have a huge pot to spend with Diaby’s exit costing the Saudi club £60million, and having already brought Ross Barkley, Ian Maatsen and Jaden Philogene-Bidace to the club – alongside younger players such as Lewis Dobbin, Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea, it’s been a busy start to the window.
As per Transfermarkt, Villa have already spent £97.5million, which will rise to £147.5million with the imminent addition of Amadou Onana from Everton – though the sales of Douglas Luiz and Diaby amongst others will reach a total of £117million and so in terms of net spend, the club are only £30million in the red.