Arne Slot will hope to add to his Liverpool squad this summer.placeholder image
Arne Slot will hope to add to his Liverpool squad this summer. | Getty Images
Liverpool have been linked with a surprise move for an ex-Aston Villa forward
Liverpool might have an important summer of transition ahead at Anfield, particularly if the Reds fail to secure Champions League football for next season.
Xabi Alonso has been touted as a potential replacement in waiting if the club do decide to part ways with Slot, with the next three months likely to be crucial in that decision. Thoughts have already begun to pan ahead to potential transfer targets for next summer and a surprise move for an ex-Premier League star has emerged.
Liverpool linked with surprise move for ex-Aston Villa star
According to reports by TEAMtalk, Liverpool are in ‘close contact’ over a move for former Aston Villa winger Moussa Diaby, who has been linked with a return to Europe after two years in the Saudi Pro League with Al-Ittihad.
The 26-year-old and his representatives have ‘held talks’ with Liverpool over a potential move, as the Reds debate over how to replace Mohamed Salah in the long term. Yan Diomande is reported to be their ‘undisputed number one target’, but Diaby is amongst their list, particularly if the Reds look to sign two wingers this summer.
Al-Ittihad paid £51 million for the 11-cap France international in 2024 but he is reportedly available for just £35m after an underwhelming time in the Middle East, where he has bagged eight goals and 29 assists in 61 matches in all competitions.
Liverpool are not alone in considering a move for the former Villa Park star – Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly held talks, while Newcastle United and Chelsea are ‘monitoring the situation’ and there is also European interest from the likes of Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Atlético Madrid and Inter Milan.
Could Diaby return to England to help Liverpool replace Salah?
It would be somewhat of an unorthodox move if Diaby were to swap Saudi Arabia for Anfield rather than the other way around, but at 26 the former Bayer Leverkusen flyer still has his prime years ahead of him and will hope that his Middle East adventure was just a precursor to him dominating in the Premier League once again.
Diaby was part of the Aston Villa squad which qualified for the Champions League for the first time in a generation and while he was outshone by other members of the squad such as Ollie Watkins, Diaby’s record of 10 goals and 11 assists in all competitions in his first and only season in England is nothing to be sniffed at.
He might not be the single answer to Liverpool replacing Salah straight away but as a useful squad player who can contribute with goals and assists across competitions, the value he could have to the Reds or other potential suitors is clear. It will be intriguing to see if Diaby does return to England to inflict damage on his former club Villa – leading them to regret letting him go in the first place.
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