Deal done! 27-year-old escapes Sporting, joins Leverkusen for €30m | OneFootball

Sporting are out of the race for Moussa Diaby, who has decided the next chapter of his career. The French winger has reached an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen, who have also reportedly agreed a transfer worth around €30 million with Al-Ittihad.

The information was reported by Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sport Germany and by Kicker, who say the two clubs have reached an understanding. The player has also reportedly agreed terms with the German side on a five-year contract, valid until June 2031, with only the usual formalities remaining before the deal is made official.

The move puts an end to Sporting’s interest, as the club had made contact over the player in recent weeks. The possibility of Diaby moving to Alvalade had even gathered momentum, in a process that could also have been linked to the future of Pedro Gonçalves, who has been associated with Al-Ittihad.

At 27, Diaby is preparing to return to a club he knows well. The Frenchman played for Bayer Leverkusen between 2019 and 2023, making 172 appearances, scoring 49 goals and providing 47 assists, before moving to Aston Villa. After just one season in England, he moved to Al-Ittihad.

In Saudi Arabia, the winger won the league title and the cup, but will now return to the Bundesliga through the doors of his former club. For Sporting, the move definitively ends any chance of signing a player who had at one point been on the club’s radar.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.