Aston Villa DOUBLE DEAL: Saudi Pro League aims for Duran repeat

Robin Bairner

• 1 May 2025 10:35 BST
• 3 min read

News

Aston Villa sold Jhon Duran to the Saudi Pro League in January and the Premier League giants could be about to send two more stars to the big-spending division.

While Saudi are linked with an astonishing €800 million move to sign Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid, there are plans afoot to land Villa pair Emi Martinez and Leon Bailey, according to a report from The Telegraph.

Compared

Emiliano Martínez

GK

Aston Villa

Emiliano Martínez

GK

Aston Villa

VS

Leon Bailey

M, AM (R)

Aston Villa

Leon Bailey

M, AM (R)

Aston Villa

€23M	ETV	€38.6M
€20.7M - €25.3M	ETV Range	€34.7M - €42.4M
32 years old (02 Sep, 1992)	Age	27 years old (09 Aug, 1997)
Argentina	Nationality	Jamaica

It is unclear which Pro League side are actively chasing the duo, but Villa will appreciate that there is the possibility of big money involved in the two deals.

Unai Emery’s side, who face a fight to comply with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), have already both Moussa Diaby and Duran to Saudi Arabia, with the former attracting a transfer fee of €77m and the latter going for €60m.

These are two of the three most expensive sales in Aston Villa history.

Martinez and Bailey to follow Duran to Saudi?

Martinez’s form has been criticised by some fans in recent weeks, despite the World Cup-winning goalkeeper having been a mainstay of the team since arriving in 2020 from Arsenal. He signed a new deal last summer that runs until 2029, but the 32-year-old could depart for the right money this time around.

The case of Bailey is also an interesting one given that he has seen his game time reduced over the second half of the campaign following the January signings of Donyell Malen, Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio. All three only joined Villa on loan and their futures are unclear. Like Martinez, his future is locked to Villa for the long term, with his deal up in 2027.

The duo have a combined Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €62m, but it would likely take a more sizeable bid from Saudi to prise them away from their current employers.

Duran has enjoyed a profitable time in the Pro League, with five goals in 10 appearances for Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.

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