Leon Bailey to Saudi Pro League
Verdict Delivered
This rumor DIED. It was dropped from the board after going quiet, last rated 5%.
| Move | Villa → Saudi Pro League |
| Outcome | Never happened |
| Rated at the end | 5% |
| Resolved | August 26th |
Saudi Arabia is the other market in play. Matt Maher reported in the Express & Star at 5pm BST on August 12th, hours after Sergej Jakirovic had declared the Hull City move dead, that Bailey has been attracting interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia and that Unai Emery will hope to resolve the winger's future before the deadline. No club is named, no offer is reported, and nothing has been put to Villa in public. Bailey's representative Craig Butler said on August 13th that the camp are negotiating with several clubs without naming any of them. The salary is why that market is the plausible one. Bailey has a year left on a contract Villa are not expected to renew, and wages of around GBP 120,000 a week have been the obstacle in every conversation about him this summer. Villa want a fee rather than a loan. His pre-season has been shaped by the transfer rather than by football: withdrawn after 23 minutes at the Estadio do Dragao on July 25th with muscle tightness, held back from the Far East tour, and left out of the 23 players Villa registered with UEFA for the Super Cup on August 6th.
This page is kept as part of our public track record — every rumor's final outcome stays published against the likelihood we gave it.
Related
How the Story Moved
| Date | What changed | |
|---|---|---|
| August 12th | Tracked | Rumor opened on the board at 13% (linked) — source: Matt Maher (Express & Star). With Hull City gone, the interest that is left is Saudi. Matt Maher reported in the Express & Star at 5pm BST on August 12th, hours after Sergej Jakirovic had declared the Hull move dead, that Bailey has been attracting interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia and that Unai Emery will hope to resolve the winger's future before the deadline. No club is named, no offer is reported, and nothing has been put to Villa in public. The salary is why that market is the plausible one. Bailey has a year left on a contract Villa are not expected to renew, and wages of around GBP 120,000 a week have been the obstacle in every conversation about him this summer, including the one that ended on Wednesday. Villa want a fee rather than a loan. His pre-season has been shaped by the transfer rather than by football: withdrawn after 23 minutes at the Estadio do Dragao on July 25th with muscle tightness, held back from the Far East tour, and left out of the 23 players Villa registered with UEFA for the Super Cup on August 6th. |
| August 26th | Verdict | Rumor died — dropped from the board at 13% |
Timeline reflects our tracking history since the rumor joined the board, not every media mention. For everything Villa, live: the Verdict homepage.