Moussa Diaby completes £50m move to Al-Ittihad as the 25-year-old star signs five-year deal after leaving Unai Emery's side just 12 months after arriving

Aston Villa have confirmed Moussa Diaby's departure after the player completed a £50m move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad just a year after his arrival in the Midlands.

The 25-year-old was Villa's record signing when he moved to the club last year in a £52m transfer from Bayer Leverkusen and enjoyed a strong debut year in the Premier League.

Diaby has signed a five-year contract at the Saudi Pro League side and will link-up with his new team-mates in due course after completing a medical in Spain.

He leaves the Clarets after making 54 appearances for Villa across all competitions and scoring 10 goals, while providing nine assists as he slotted into Unai Emery's forward line.

Diaby struck up a strong partnership with Ollie Watkins who enjoyed his career-best season by scoring 27 goals and finishing fourth in the Premier League's golden boot race with 19 strikes.

Completing his transfer to Al-Ittihad, Diaby admitted he was thrilled to make the move as he follows in the footsteps of other former Premier League stars who have swayed to move to the Middle East by the huge salaries on offer.

'I am thrilled to join Al-Ittihad and be part of a project that aims to build a strong team reflecting the club's rich history and values.

'I look forward to collaborating with my new team-mates to achieve victories and bring joy to our dedicated fans.' 

Al-Ittihad already have star names Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante and Fabinho in their squad, while Houssem Aouar recently joined from Roma. 

His departure marks an immediate recouping of the £50m outlay that Villa recently forked out on former Everton midfielder Amadou Onana.

The Belgian midfielder, 22, broke Diaby's previous record to become the club's highest price signing and took Villa's summer spending to £140m.