LONDON — Aston Villa has signed French forward Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen for an undisclosed fee, the English Premier League club said.
British media reports said the 24-year-old will sign a five-year deal after Villa paid 41 million pounds ($53 million). There had been rumours that the player would join Saudi Pro League club Al Nassr.
The France international made 172 appearances and scored 49 goals for Leverkusen after joining the Bundesliga side in 2019. Last season he was the club’s top scorer with 14 strikes across all competitions.
Diaby joins midfielder Youri Tielemans and defender Pau Torres among Villa’s close season recruits as they add experience ahead of their Europa Conference League campaign.
Villa underwent a remarkable turnaround under coach Unai Emery last season after sacking manager Steven Gerrard in October, finishing seventh in the Premier League.
Diaby becomes Villa’s third major signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Youri Tielemans and Pau Torres, as head coach Emery prepares for a first full season at the helm.
Villa completed the deal despite reported interest in Diaby from Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, and he will now form a vital part of a squad that will enter the Europa Conference League having finished seventh in the Premier League last year.
Elsewhere, Manchester United signed Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana from Inter Milan in a deal that could rise to £47 million ($57 million).
Onana has agreed a five-year deal with the Premier League club and will succeed David de Gea as number one at Old Trafford.
United are set to pay an initial £44 million for the 27-year-old with a further £3.5 million due in performance-related add-ons.
“To join Manchester United is an incredible honour and I have worked hard all my life to get to this moment, overcoming many obstacles along the way,” Onana said in a United statement.
“Walking out at Old Trafford to defend our goal and contribute to the team will be another amazing experience. This is the start of a new journey for me, with new teammates, and new ambitions to fight for,” Onana added according to AFP.
De Gea left the Red Devils earlier this month after 12 years at United.
The Spaniard struggled with Erik ten Hag’s preference to play out from the back and Onana appears a far more natural fit for the Dutch coach’s philosophy.
Onana joined Barcelona as a 14-year-old after being spotted at Samuel Eto’o’s academy in his homeland.
After failing to make the first team at the Camp Nou, Onana joined Ajax in 2015 and won three Eredivisie titles under Ten Hag in the Netherlands.
However, his career was temporarily rocked in 2021 by a doping ban for taking a banned diuretic.
He joined Inter on a free transfer just over 12 months ago when his contract at Ajax expired.
Onana made only 24 Serie A appearances as he shared goalkeeping duties with Samir Handanovic in the Inter captain’s final year at the club.
But he was an ever-present in the Champions League, keeping eight clean sheets in 13 games as Inter reached the final for the first time in 13 years.
Onana played for Cameroon in their first match at last year’s World Cup, but he was dropped for a disciplinary issue the rest of the tournament in Qatar and subsequently announced his international retirement.
He is United’s second close-season signing after England midfielder Mason Mount arrived from Chelsea earlier in July for an initial £55 million.
The United boss, who ended his club’s six-year trophy drought by winning the League Cup last season, has been linked with a bid for Atalanta’s Denmark striker Rasmus Hojlund.
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