Aston Villa to 'end' pursuit of Chelsea ace, Saudi Pro League club 'interested' in Villa star

The dust has settled after the Euro 2024 final. England may have been beaten, but they can hold their heads high and with that now in the books, let’s take a look at all the biggest Aston Villa transfer rumours from today.

The Villans have ‘ended’ their transfer chase for a Chelsea midfielder, after they have turned their attention to an alternative target. Meanwhile, one of Villa’s top wingers is the subject of interest from a club in the Saudi Pro League. They are reportedly offering Villa a massive sum of money for his services - will they take the offer or keep the player?

Aston Villa ‘end’ transfer pursuit of Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher

Aston Villa had previously been interested in a move for Chelsea captain Conor Gallagher - however, more recent reports suggest that they will not be launching an effort to sign him at this time. This is due to Villa’s move for Everton’s Amadou Onana and should they complete a deal for the Belgian international, it would effectively ‘put an end’ to their pursuit of Gallagher.

Speaking to Villa News, journalist Oliver Bardell said: “Onana is a different type of midfielder but under Emery, you’ll see a very good player. He did well at the Euros for Belgium I thought. You could argue that £50 million is on the pricy side but Everton paid around £30 million, and his value has grown since then.

“He’s been linked to plenty of big teams but now he’s coming to Villa which is a positive thing. This will put an end to the Conor Gallagher links. Villa aren’t going to sign both of them. It is going to be interesting to see when everyone is fit who Emery chooses.“

Al-Ittihad ‘interested’ in signing Moussa Diaby

Moussa Diaby arrived at Aston Villa at the beginning of the 2023/24 season - however, he may not be around for the start of the 2024/25 campaign. According to a report from journalist Jacob Tanswell, Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ittihad are ‘interested’ in the prospect of bringing Diaby on board over the course of the ongoing summer transfer window.

Writing on his official X (formerly Twitter) page, Tanswell wrote: “Al-Ittihad are interested in signing Moussa Diaby from AVFC. Interest from Saudi Arabia is long-standing, with Al-Ittihad prepared to offer Villa a notable profit on the £34.6m + add-ons they paid for Diaby last summer.”

While Villa will be unwilling to let Diaby leave, given his importance to their squad, the idea of making a profit on him will be very enticing indeed. While it is unclear just how much Al-Ittihad are willing to pay for the France international’s services, it is likely to be a huge amount - especially so when you consider that Diaby was Villa’s club record fee signing (and still is).

Furthermore, Villa have a surplus of talented wingers in their squad. With stars such as Samuel Iling-Junior, Leon Bailey and Emi Buendia to call upon, the loss of Diaby will not affect them too greatly.