Aston Villa are plotting an audacious swoop for Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix after sanctioning an exit for Moussa Diaby, according to The Guardian.
Diaby only joined Villa in a deal worth around £46 million last summer.
The 25-year-old made 54 appearances across all competitions for Unai Emery’s side, contributing ten goals and nine assists.
He also created 13 big chances and averaged 1.2 key passes in the Premier League.
He played a crucial role in their fairytale run to a Champions League finish but is now set for a fresh start in the Saudi Pro League.
Diaby is set to sign a five-year contract with Saudi giants Al-Ittihad, who will fork out £50m to secure his services.
Villa have wasted no time lining up potential replacements and have set their sights on an eye-catching deal for Felix, but it wouldn’t be straightforward.
Felix spent last season on loan at Barcelona, notching ten goals and six assists in 44 appearances across all competitions.
He was part of the Portugal squad that reached the quarter-final of the 2024 European Championship.
Atletico are willing to sell Felix permanently this summer after a previous loan spell at Chelsea, but Villa will have to stump up a significant sum to get a deal over the line.
Felix has fallen out of favour at the club after falling out with manager Diego Simeone, but the Spanish giants are under no illusions about the enormous quality the 24-year-old possesses.
Barca have also explored the possibility of signing Felix on a permanent deal, but Atletico have refused to do their rivals any favours by negotiating a decent fee.
The Blaugranas have switched their attention to Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams, who is also admired by Villa, but the Birmingham outfit are weighing up the possibility of luring Felix to Villa Park.
Landing a player of Felix’s quality would be a massive statement of intent from Villa as they prepare for Champions League football next season.
Stats from Sofascore.com & Transfermarkt
