According to Kicker, all parties have now fully agreed terms on Diaby's return to the BayArena, with the biggest hurdle — the compensation payment owed to the Frenchman — successfully cleared.
Al Ittihad are set to receive a fee just under €30m from Leverkusen for the winger, who left the German club for Saudi Arabia only two years ago. The Saudi side had resisted sanctioning the exit for weeks while they searched for a suitable replacement, a search that appears to have found its answer.
That replacement could now be Ritsu Doan. The Eintracht Frankfurt left-footer has been linked with Al Ittihad by Saudi media, and his potential availability may be what has finally opened the door for Diaby's transfer to move forward after a prolonged standoff between the two clubs.
Diaby's path back to Leverkusen has taken a winding route. The winger left the BayArena for Aston Villa in 2023 for €55m, then moved on again a year later to Al Ittihad for €60m, where he won the Saudi Pro League and King's Cup during two productive seasons. Reports differ slightly on the exact figure heading back to Leverkusen this time, with Bild citing €28m against Kicker's "just under €30m," but all parties agree the transfer is now close to being finalised on a five-year contract through to 2031.
Leverkusen's business is not limited to incomings.
Ernest Poku and Exequiel Palacios are both closing in on departures of their own before the window shuts — Palacios's move to Ipswich Town has been reported as all but agreed in recent days — continuing what has been an eventful final stretch of the market for the Bundesliga club as they balance fresh investment in attack with outgoing sales elsewhere in the squad.