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High profile Premier League star to join Saudi Pro League as deal now 100 per cent agreed

High profile Premier League star to join Saudi Pro League as deal now 100 per cent agreed

The Saudi side have pulled off a huge transfer coup.

Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton

A high profile Premier League star is set to complete a sensational move to Saudi Arabia just one year after rejecting a move.

Last summer saw Saudi Pro League clubs flex their financial muscle, with a whole host of stars swapping the Premier League for the Gulf state.

The likes of Riyad Mahrez, Ruben Neves and Aymeric Laporte all made the move, following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Saudi clubs have been much quieter this summer, but now it looks like another club has got their hands on a top Premier League talent.

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Al-Ittihad have verbally agreed a €60 million (£50.5m) package - including add-ons - with Aston Villa for the transfer of Moussa Diaby.

The 25-year-old winger has reportedly agreed a five-year deal with the Saudi club, and is now waiting for paperwork to be reviewed before he officially signs.

Diaby only joined Villa last summer, making a €60m (then worth £51.9m) club record move from Bayer Leverkusen.

In his only season at Villa Park, the France international scored 10 goals and provided nine assists in 54 matches in all competitions.

He contributed to an historic season for the club, that saw Unai Emery's side finish fourth in the Premier League table to secure a place in the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League.

Despite his contributions, Diaby was not included in France's squad for Euro 2024.

Interestingly, Diaby actually rejected a big money offer from Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr in order to join Villa.

At the time it was reported that the player's priorities were to play Premier League football and work with Emery.

Having secured the services of Diaby, Al-Ittihad - who finished fifth in the Saudi Pro League last season - are working to pull off a stunning move for Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson.

Club bosses are also reportedly hoping to add Kevin De Bruyne to a star-studded squad that already includes Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Jota Filipe and Fabinho.

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: Premier League, Saudi Arabia, Transfer News, Aston Villa, Fabrizio Romano, Football, Saudi Pro League

Alex Brotherton
Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton is a journalist at SPORTbible. He has previously worked with publications including the Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also dabbles in tennis and American football. He can often be found watching dreadful non-league football.

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@alex_brotherton