£20 million Monaco forward Sofiane Diop is keen on a move to the Premier League with Leicester City leading Borussia Dortmund and Nice in the race for his signature, as reported by L’Equipe.
Brendan Rodgers will owe his old employers a debt of gratitude if Diop does end up at the King Power Stadium this summer.
Because, by selling Takumi Minamino to the Principality club, Liverpool may have inadvertently paved the way for one of Ligue 1’s brightest young attackers to make a trip across the Channel.
Diop started just one of Monaco’s last 10 matches in 2021/22. New coach Philippe Clement is clearly not quite as enamoured by the France U21 international as former boss Niko Kovac was. Minamino’s subsequent arrival may now serve to push Diop even further down the Monegasque pecking order.
Not that a disappointing end to last season is likely to scupper the 22-year-old’s chances of a big-money move.
Rodgers a big fan of Leicester City target Sofiane Diop
L’Equipe claim that Nice and perennial talent-spotters Borussia Dortmund have expressed an interest. But Leicester are currently in pole position.
Rodgers, the report adds, is a big fan of Diop. And, what’s more, the one-time Rennes starlet is ‘interested in the Premier League’. Who wouldn’t be, considering Leicester’s track record when it comes to turning good players into great ones. A move from Monaco to the Midlands certainly didn’t do Youri Tielemans any harm.
A versatile attacking midfielder with a penchant for making perfectly-timed runs into the penalty area, Diop provided nine goals and seven assists last season despite drifting in and out of the Monaco XI.
A la James Maddison, the Frenchman is at his most effective when picking up possession in little pockets of space, or when running in behind beyond the centre-forward.
Harvey Barnes, Kelechi Iheanacho, Patson Daka and Ayoze Perez all found goals hard to come by last term. Diop’s reliable strike-rate from attacking midfield, then, could help ease the pressure on a now-35-year-old Jamie Vardy.
Leicester, thus far, are yet to make a single new signing this summer.
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