Moussa Diaby is a Bayer Leverkusen player again. The 27-year-old France winger has signed a contract through 2031, the club announced on 1 September, and takes back the No. 19 shirt he wore in his first spell.
The fee is reported at €27 million by Fabrizio Romano, with Sky Germany placing it “just under €30 million.” Either figure sits well below the roughly €55m Aston Villa paid Leverkusen to sign him in 2023. Diaby lasted one Premier League season before leaving for Saudi Arabia, where he helped Al-Ittihad win both the Saudi Pro League and the King’s Cup in 2024-25.
Al-Ittihad let their double winner walk
Diaby’s exit was not a mutual celebration. Al-Ittihad marked his departure with a social media video titled “He left a legacy and moved on,” while the club’s own attempt to replace him with Frankfurt winger Ritsu Doan collapsed and briefly threatened to derail Diaby’s own move.
Diaby made no secret of where he wanted to go.
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“When the enquiry came in and a move was possible, I didn’t hesitate a second. Pushing for titles with Bayer 04 is a big goal of mine.”
Simon Rolfes, Leverkusen’s Managing Director Sport, framed the return as an attacking upgrade.
“We’ve brought a great forward back to the Bundesliga in Moussa. He’ll give our attacking game additional quality.”
A club that needed reinforcements
Leverkusen’s summer has been anything but smooth. Head coach Erik ten Hag was dismissed on 1 September after just two league games, with the backroom staff taking over training on an interim basis the same day the Diaby deal was announced.
The defending Bundesliga champions also added Ivory Coast right-back Guéla Doué, signed from Strasbourg on a five-year deal worth an initial €30m and up to €36m with bonuses. The 23-year-old takes the No. 20 shirt.
Diaby is not alone
Diaby is the highest-profile Saudi return of the window, but far from the only one. Portugal defender João Cancelo terminated his Al-Hilal contract to rejoin Barcelona on a free transfer. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang left Al-Qadsiah after a single season and dropped down to Spain’s second tier with Deportivo La Coruña. Georginio Wijnaldum, Franck Kessié, Fabinho and Riyad Mahrez are among those whose Saudi contracts expired without renewal.
The Saudi Pro League window remains open until 12 October, giving clubs like Al-Ittihad six weeks to reshape their squads. Al-Ittihad have already begun rebuilding the front line Diaby leaves behind.
Diaby scored 49 goals and provided 47 assists in 172 appearances during his first Leverkusen spell, 125 of them in the Bundesliga. His new contract runs to June 2031.
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