Exclusive: Aston Villa to pay Bayer Leverkusen £20m+ as deal all but done
Aston Villa still owe Bayer Leverkusen over half the money they paid for Moussa Diaby last year, sources have told Football Insider.
The Midlands giants are holding out for a £50million-plus fee from Saudi Arabian club Al Ittihad for the winger who Football Insider revealed is keen on making the move to the Middle East.
The deal is now at an advanced stage and all parties expect it to be finalised once the payment structure has been agreed.
Regardless of how much money Aston Villa get for Diaby, they will have to pay a healthy chunk to Diaby's ex-club, Bayer Leverkusen.
Diaby only moved to Villa Park last summer in a record deal from the German club for an initial fee of £43million.
Moussa Diaby wants to leave Aston Villa as deal all but done
Diaby had an impressive debut season for Villa, playing in 54 games, including all 38 Premier League matches.
He scored ten goals across all competitions, six of which came in the Premier League, making him the club's fifth top-goalscorer and becoming a vital part of Unai Emery's attack.
The 25-year-old contributed significantly to Villa's fourth-place finish, securing their first Champions League berth since 1983 but it's looking unlikely that he will be a part of next season's European campaign.
The Frenchman may not be the only Villa forward leaving, as Cole Palmer tells Ollie Watkins to leave the club and join Chelsea.
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