Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr make MASSIVE first bid for Aston Villa target

Carlo Garganese

• 16 Jul 2023 18:20 BST
• 3 min read

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr have tabled a first offer for Bayer Leverkusen sensation Moussa Diaby.

That is according to journalist Fabrice Hawkins, who reports that Al-Nassr have made a first offer worth €38 million plus €5m in bonuses.

A response from the Bundesliga giants is expected soon but it is expected that they will turn down the offer.

The reason for that is because Leverkusen have already rejected a superior offer from Aston Villa of €40m plus €7m in add-ons.

Hawkins adds that Villa will make a second offer as they continue an impressive start to a transfer window that has already seen them sign Villarreal’s Pau Torres and Leicester’s Youri Tielemans.

Diaby would be a game changer in football

As FootballTransfers’ Robin Bairner wrote on Friday, were Diaby to sign for Al-Nassr it would turn the football order upside down.

Bairner wrote: “The Saudi Pro League has been reinforced by several high-profile stars this summer, with Ronaldo, who joined the club in December, joined by the likes of Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Roberto Firmino in recent weeks. Chelsea pair Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly have also made the move to the Gulf.

“But while there have been high-profile players signed, none of these men are figures in their prime – all are over 30.

“Diaby is a very different proposition indeed. At 24, he is just arriving in the peak years of his career and is a player that a majority of clubs around Europe would welcome with open arms.

“Major Premier League clubs are actively involved in the transfer chase for him.”

It remains to be seen how the race to sign Diaby goes from here but with Al-Nassr able to offer contracts worth up to €200m a year or more, the French attacker will certainly be tempted by a move to Saudi Arabia.

Diaby has scored 49 goals in 172 games since joining Bayer Leverkusen from PSG four years ago.