Why Aston Villa are ready to break their transfer record for Moussa Diaby?

The Premier League side could end up paying upwards of £50 million for the Frenchman

Aston Villa are set to break their transfer record for France and Bayer Leverkusen forward Moussa Diaby. The 24-year-old is valued at over £50 million by Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.

Unai Emery took charge of the English club after Steven Gerrard was sacked during the season. The manager turned the fortunes of the club and Villa finished seventh in the Premier League 2022-23.

They will play in the UEFA Conference League next season and this has attracted a few players. Youri Tielemans has already joined Emery's side and Pau Torres is also on the verge of joining the English club.

Aston Villa were behind Harvey Barnes but now their attention is fully on Leverkusen's winger Diaby. The 24-year-old is a creative force and could offer a lot to Unai Emery's side.

Moussa Diaby's 2022-23 Bundesliga season

Moussa Diaby ended the 2022-23 season with 14 goals and 10 assists in 49 games. This shows that he has a goal-scoring contribution in every second game.

The winger is left-footed and plays on the right side of the attack. Leon Bailey plays for Villa on that particular side. He was also signed from Leverkusen in 2021.

Last season, Bailey made eight goal-scoring contributions to his side's success. These included four goals and four assists. Emery's side scored 51 goals in the English top division. They will look to improve their scoring record in the coming season.

According to stats from last season, 40% of their attacks came down the left flank in 2022-23, the joint-fourth highest proportion in the Premier League. By comparison, 35% were down the right, the fourth lowest.

Diaby is a skilful person and enjoyed 1.7 successful dribbles per 90 minutes in the previous season. He will add pace to the attack and will be effective on the counter. No player scored more goals than the Frenchman on the counter in Bundesliga last season.

The 24-year-old has to work on his defensive contributions and his small figure doesn't allow him to win many aerial duels.

However, Diaby will add a lot of creativity from the right flank.

Aston Villa saw their £30 million plus add-ons bid rejected and will be making a new bid in the coming days.