A player who Newcastle United desperately tried to sign two years ago is now closing in on a move to another PIF club.
The transfer window is now open in Saudi Arabia, which means the other clubs that PIF own are starting to be active in the transfer market alongside Newcastle United.
As well as Newcastle, PIF also own 75% of four clubs in the Saudi Pro League. It has created a strange dynamic in which the Toon owners are inadvertently helping Newcastle’s Premier League rivals in terms of their PSR situation. Yet any Newcastle deal involving a PIF club has come under scrutiny, with Allan Saint-Maximin’s transfer to Al-Ahli last year being questioned.
Aston Villa forward set to sign for PIF club
Now it is Aston Villa who could be set to sell one of their top stars to Saudi Arabia, with Fabrizio Romano providing an update on what PIF-owned Al-Ittihad are planning to do.
He wrote on X: “Al-Ittihad are getting confident to agree on deal for Moussa Diaby! Negotiations advancing with Aston Villa and player’s camp. After Aouar deal done, Al Ittihad are close to reaching an agreement also for Diaby as new winger.”
After just one year at Villa Park, Moussa Diaby could be on his way out of the club. He joined them from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, costing a club-record £52million.
The Frenchman was impressive in his first year in the Premier League, helping Villa finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League. Diaby made 38 Premier League appearances, scoring six goals and providing eight assists.
Newcastle really wanted to sign Moussa Diaby
Given how much they spent on him, how well he did and what Aston Villa achieved, it is a major surprise to see that Diaby could already be on his way out.
And he is a player that Newcastle United fans are very familiar with, given how heavily linked he was with the Magpies two years ago.
Diaby was described as Newcastle’s ‘dream signing‘ in 2022, only for the winger to prove to be too expensive. At one point in time, Newcastle were confident about signing Diaby, but a deal did not materialise.
He was linked again last summer, only for the Magpies to target Harvey Barnes instead. Meanwhile, Diaby moved to Villa and proved how well he could do in the Premier League. He did not set the world alight by any stretch of the imagination, but he was certainly impressive.
Fast forward 12 months and now Diaby is signing for a PIF-owned club, at a time when Newcastle are looking for a marquee winger to join Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon in attack.
Alas, it is Al-Ittihad who are closing in on a deal for the 25-year-old, rather than the Magpies.
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