Aston Villa outbids Saudis and brings Diaby to the Premier League

Diaby could have also joined Al-Nassr, the Saudi Arabian club that employs Cristiano Ronaldo, among others, but the winger decided to turn down the offer from the Middle East. At Villa, the former Paris Saint-Germain player is their third summer signing.

The Villans, who experienced a remarkable rise last season since the appointment of manager Unai Emery and qualified for the UEFA Conference League, previously brought in Pau Torres (Villarreal) and Youri Tielemans (Leicester City) to Birmingham. Torres was reportedly acquired for 33 million euros, while Tielemans joined on a free transfer after Leicester's relegation from the Premier League.

Diaby, a nine-time international for France, left PSG in the summer of 2018 to join Leverkusen, where he scored 49 goals in 172 official matches for the German club. The forward also contributed with 48 assists for Die Werkself. Before his move to the Bundesliga, Diaby made 34 appearances for PSG, where he also came through the youth academy.