£25m Aston Villa player wants to stay and fight for his place under Unai Emery

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Journalist Dean Jones claims that Leon Bailey wants to stay and fight for his place at Aston Villa, despite interest from Saudi Arabia.

Jones has been speaking to GiveMeSport and shared an update on Bailey’s future after the arrival of Moussa Diaby.

Aston Villa have enjoyed a brilliant start to the summer window as they’ve moved to bring in Youri Tielemans, Pau Torres and Diaby.

Unai Emery boasts an excellent track record in Europe and will be aiming to go all the way in the Europa Conference League this season.

Villa have already bolstered the Spaniard’s squad significantly and made a real statement by signing Diaby. The Frenchman is expected to come in and push for a starting place from the off, leaving Bailey’s position in Emery’s squad in doubt.

The Daily Mail reported on Monday that Bailey is attracting interest from Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Nassr. But Jones claims that Bailey is keen to fight for his place in Emery’s side and play alongside Diaby. 

Bailey wants to stay at Villa

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones shared what he’s been told about Bailey’s plans for the future.

“The easy thing to assume is that Diaby’s arrival is a blow to Bailey, but I’m told he is ready to buckle down and embrace the challenge and try to make sure they are actually in the team together,” the journalist said.

“The pair know each other well and that could turn out to be a blessing for Emery if he is willing to give Bailey a crack at getting into this team.

“The problem for Bailey is pretty simple: Diaby is a better player, and it might prove too difficult to fit them into the same team. If that’s the case then Bailey is going to struggle to get that starting role he wants.”

Bailey arrived at Villa Park back in 2021 as he made the £25 million switch from Bayer Leverkusen. 

Of course, Villa also snapped up Diaby from the Bundesliga outfit and the duo played together for two years in Germany.

Bailey has shown flashes of brilliance during his time in the Midlands, but he’s failed to produce consistently.

The Jamaican forward will certainly have to step up his game after the arrival of Diaby. But competition for places is exactly what Emery needs as he prepares Villa for a return to Europe.