Salernitana president Danilo Iervolino has no intention of letting Lassana Coulibaly or Boulaye Dia leave for the Premier League in January with Nottingham Forest and West Ham United keen on the Serie A pair, according to La Cronache de Salerno.
After avoiding relegation by just one place and one point last term, an ambitious Salernitana outfit are leaving nothing for chance this time around.
The Granata are currently sitting pretty in 12th following an impressive start to the current campaign. But no one at the Stadio Arechi is taking anything for granted.
Amid interest in two of Salernitana’s key players, the team from Campania have wasted no time in making it clear that any January suitors are barking up the wrong tree.
West Ham, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest eye Salernitana raid
Nottingham Forest, per The Sun, failed with a £7 million bid for tough-tackling defensive midfielder Coulibaly recently. The one-time Rangers loanee, reportedly valued at £8.5 million, is viewed as the ideal addition to Steve Cooper’s engine room.
Only one midfielder in the whole of Serie A averages more tackles per game than Coulibaly. The Malian’s energy and industry would be a welcome addition to a Forest side who have conceded the most goals in the Premier League so far in 2022/23.
Senegal striker Dia, meanwhile, has six goals in 10 starts since joining on a loan-to-buy deal from Villarreal. Leeds United, Aston Villa and long-time admirers West Ham are keeping tabs on the silky centre-forward (TuttoSalernitana).
Salernitana chief Iervolino, however, has ‘no intention of giving up his two jewels’. Talk of a potential sale has been postponed until next summer. By which point Salernitana may have secured their place in Serie A for a third-straight season.
West Ham tried to sign Boulaye Dia two years ago
Last week, club chief Francesco Fimmino indicated that Dia was likely to stay in Italy. The 26-year-old is rediscovering the form that first caught West Ham’s eye a couple of seasons ago.
Dia’s agent admitted he ‘talked a lot’ with the Hammers in January 2021. Dia was one of the most prolific goalscorers in France’s Ligue 1 at the time; scoring for fun at an unfancied Stade de Reims.
“I certainly think there is the will to continue together,” explains Fimmano.
“Dia is a champion, who we have seen very little of yet. (He produced an) excellent performance in Qatar (at the World Cup), which confirms his talents are of the highest level. And Salernitana keeps the players of the highest level.”
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