Aston Villa have reportedly made their initial bid for Moussa Diaby, the talented forward from Bayer Leverkusen.
The 24-year-old had a successful season under the guidance of Xabi Alonso, delivering impressive numbers of 14 goals and 11 assists in 48 matches across various competitions.
While Arsenal and Newcastle United have previously shown strong interest in acquiring Diaby, Manchester United is now also rumored to enter the race for the French international.
However, according to L’Equipe, Villa has emerged as a contender for Diaby’s signature, with Unai Emery’s team submitting their first offer.
Diaby is attracted by the opportunity to play in the Premier League, although Villa’s absence from the Champions League could pose a challenge in finalizing the deal.
Although the promising youngster remains under contract with Leverkusen until 2025, reports suggest that the club is willing to let him go for a reasonable offer this summer.
In terms of potential departures from the West Midlands, it appears that Raul Jimenez, the striker from Wolverhampton Wanderers, has caught the attention of Turkish side Adana Demirspor.
Jimenez had a peripheral role in the team last season under Julen Lopetegui, failing to score a single goal in the Premier League during his 15 top-flight appearances.
Despite Wolves’ struggles in finding the back of the net, Jimenez started only eight league games for the Molineux side, and it seems that both player and club are open to a separation this summer.
Turkish outlet Aksam Spor, citing AS, reports that Adana Demirspor has expressed interest in signing Jimenez, who recently met with head coach Patrick Kluivert.
Negotiations are expected to progress rapidly in the coming days as Jimenez prepares to bid farewell to Wolves after a successful five-year tenure in the West Midlands.
The 32-year-old has accumulated an impressive record of 57 goals and 24 assists in 166 matches for Wolves since initially joining on loan from Benfica in 2018. However, his contract is set to expire next year, making him a free agent.
Meanwhile, Aaron Ramsey, the former Cardiff City prospect, appears to be rejecting a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia in favor of rejoining his childhood club.
Ramsey, 32, concluded an injury-plagued spell at Juventus last season and moved to French club Nice, where he contributed one goal and three assists in 34 appearances across all competitions.
Although Ramsey’s contract with Nice extends until the end of the following season, having triggered a one-year extension through a predetermined number of games played in the 2022-23 season, there have been rumors linking him to a move to the Middle East.
However, The Sun reports that Ramsey will reject a substantial financial offer in the Saudi Pro League to reunite with Cardiff, the club he represented for nine years from 1999 to 2008.
Nice is anticipating Ramsey’s return for pre-season training next week. Nevertheless, discussions are reportedly underway to terminate his contract with the French club so that he can return to his home country.
During his initial spell at Cardiff, the Wales international made 28 appearances for the first team, scoring three goals and providing three assists before his transfer to Arsenal.
Lastly, it appears that Manchester United youngster Will Fish has agreed to return to Scottish club Hibernian on loan for the upcoming 2023-24 season.
The 20-year-old central defender spent the previous season at Easter Road Stadium, where he made 21 appearances in the Scottish Premiership and scored three goals.
Following his return to Carrington, Fish was included in the Manchester United squad for a recent friendly match against Leeds in Oslo, coming on as a substitute in the second half for Lisandro Martinez.
However, according to the Manchester Evening News, Fish is now poised to go back to Hibs for the 2023-24 season, rejecting interest from Championship and League One clubs to continue his development in Scotland.
Manchester United is scheduled to visit Edinburgh to face French giants Lyon in a pre-season friendly next week. This conveniently aligns with Fish’s plans, as he will reportedly remain in Scotland after the match to finalize his loan move.
Fish made his debut for Manchester United as a late substitute on the final day of the 2020-21 Premier League season against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Additionally, he has previously been loaned out to Stockport County during the early stages of his career.