Agent said West Ham like £14m striker, now Moyes battling Leeds for him

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Boulaye Dia dreams of playing in the Premier League with Leeds United, Nottingham Forest and West Ham keeping tabs on the Serie A striker ahead of the January transfer window, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.  

If any moment summed up Patrick Bamford’s season, it occurred about midway through the second half during Leeds’ dramatic 2-1 win away from home at Liverpool last weekend. 

All he needed to do was control a slide-rule Crysencio Summerville pass and Bamford would have had a clear sight at Alisson Becker’s goal. Instead, the ball squirmed out of his grasp and the chance was gone. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly given the injury issues he suffered last season, Bamford is struggling to shake off the rust; missing a penalty against Arsenal, squandering the sort of chances he would have gobbled up in 2020/21. The problem for Leeds, of course, is that Bamford remains their only senior centre-forward.  

At least Boulaye Dia, should he arrive, would take some of the pressure of Bamford’s shoulders; a problem shared, as they say, is a problem halved. 

Leeds, West Ham and Nottingham Forest like Serie A hotshot Boulaye Dia

The silky Senegal striker, Gazzetta dello Sport say, dreams of playing in the Premier League. He’s currently on loan at Salernitana from La Liga outfit Villarreal. And the Granata are reportedly planning to trigger the option-to-buy clause in Dia’s contract before potentially selling him on for an immediate profit.  

West Ham and goal-shy Nottingham Forest are also keen. Dia, who has five goals in eight Salernitana starts, could earn Salernitana around £14 million. 

Interestingly, this is not the first time the France-born 25-year-old has registered on West Ham’s radar. He was a target for the Hammers a couple of seasons ago, during a prolific spell at Reims. 

“We talked a lot with West Ham,” explained Dia’s agent, Frederic Guerra, in January 2021 (Le10 Sport). “He is a player who interests them.”   

“I didn’t know him before,” Senegal team-mate Sadio Mane told Foot Sur7 a couple of years ago. “But since the start of the season, I’ve started to follow him. And I’m really impressed by his qualities.”