Aston Villa launch shock offer for key Man Utd star nobody expected to leave

Aston Villa have launched a shock offer for a Manchester United star, in what could be one of the most surprising moves of the summer transfer window.

The Villans began their Premier League campaign last weekend with a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion, as Unai Emery felt the impact of a decimated squad.

Emery has lost several of his key stars who helped them win the Europa League, most notably Morgan Rogers - who sealed a British record £117 million transfer to Chelsea - as well as Lucas Digne, Ezri Konsa and Youri Tielemans.

Ollie Watkins is also close to completing his exit from Villa Park after agreeing a £50m move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, six years after joining in a £28m deal from Brentford.

Watkins' departure left Emery visibly upset as they prepare for a showdown with champions Arsenal on Monday, but the Spaniard has since been given a reason to feel positive after a challenging couple of weeks.

Villa have already replaced Watkins with a club-record £65m transfer for Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea, while Leon Goretzka has joined on a free transfer from Bayern Munich.

The Midlands giants have also reached a verbal agreement with Paris Saint-Germain winger Ibrahim Mbaye for a fee in the region of £47m, and the 18-year-old isn't the only wideman who could follow him through the door in the closing stages of the window.

According to 225foot, a well-established African news outlet, Villa have officially submitted a 'concrete' offer for Manchester United winger Amad Diallo, seeing the fleet-footed talent as the ideal player to bolster their attack.

Amad is an influential player for Michael Carrick and only signed a new contract until 2030 at the start of last year, with the 24-year-old set to play a key role on their return to the Champions League.

United's No. 16 was missing from the first-team squad that suffered a 2-0 defeat to Hull City last Saturday after suffering a minor injury in training. Carrick has since confirmed that he won't be involved in their home clash against Ipswich Town, too, stating: "Amad won’t be involved; he’ll be out for a little bit longer."

Amad is expected to return for the trip to Everton next weekend, and it's highly unlikely that INEOS will sanction a departure for the exciting winger, especially to a divisional rival.

Man United want Aston Villa defender Ian Maatsen

While Villa have launched an ambitious move for the Ivory Coast international, Man United are also looking to sign one of their players to solve a problem position.

United have already landed Tielemans from the Premier League side, and according to transfer insider Pete O'Rourke, the Red Devils have launched a surprise enquiry for left-back Ian Maatsen.

READ NEXT: Man Utd 'make enquiry' for another Aston Villa player to solve problem position

The left side of defence is an area Carrick has been keen to bolster throughout the summer and desperately tried to sign Lewis Hall from Newcastle United, who are adamant he isn't for sale.

The 13-time Premier League champions have also explored a deal for Barcelona's Alejandro Balde, but the Spaniard is keen to stay at the Camp Nou.

Jorge Salinas, the highly-rated full-back from Racing Santander, has been linked in recent weeks alongside El Hadji Malick Diouf, who signed for Brentford on Friday.