Everything is set for Moussa Diaby (25) to leave Aston Villa for Al-Ittihad with the Frenchman ready to undergo his medical. On completion of the medical, Diaby will sign a five-year contract with Al-Ittihad.
It had been previously reported that Villa had received a €55 million offer for the forward, while L’Équipe now states that the final value of the transfer could be around €60 million. Diaby only joined Villa from Bayer Leverkusen last summer for an undisclosed fee.
Diaby will be joining a core French contingent that has been building in the Gulf State, with Karim Benzema (36) and Ngolo Kanté (33) already present in the team (although Kanté has been linked with a return to Europe) and the club recently agreeing to be coached by Laurent Blanc.
Al-Ittihad recorded a disappointing season despite significant investments ahead of the campaign. The club had been comfortable league winners the season before but could only record a 5th-place finish last season.