Fulham make Steve Mounie bid but Ligue 1’s Lois Diony is better value

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West Ham, West Brom and Watford are all challenging Fulham for £13m-rated Montpellier forward Steve Mounie after a superb Ligue 1 season.

Steve Mounie is worth far more these days

Second time lucky for Fulham? Almost twelve months after the Daily Mail claimed that Ligue 1 outfit Montpellier rejected a £2.5 million move from The Cottagers, it appears that they have once again made striker Steve Mounie their top summer target.

Yet, it appears that they face a far bigger challenge luring Mounie to Craven Cottage. This time last year, the 22-year-old was a virtual unknown, having just scored 11 goals on loan at Nimes in the French second division.

That is hardly the case this time around, however. Netting 13 times in 34 games to keep Montpellier from the Ligue 1 drop zone, Premier League trio West Ham, West Brom and Watford all joined the race for a striker valued at £13 million, as reported by The Mirror.

Therefore, Fulham are surely employing the ‘wishful thinking’ tactic with their bid. Get West London claims they have made an offer much lower than Montpellier’s asking price in the hope that their location in the most affluent part of the capital will tempt Mounie to the Championship club.

However, with the deal looking unlikely in the extreme, a contingency plan wouldn’t go amiss. Like Montpellier, Ligue 1 rivals Dijon were indebted to the form of a talismanic striker for helping them stave off fears of relegation.

24-year-old Lois Diony netted a hugely impressive 11 goals and produced another eight assists as one of the smallest clubs in the league survived by the skin of their teeth.

And the Birmingham Mail report that Diony has earned a place on the radar of Birmingham City and, most recently, newly promoted Brighton and Hove Albion.

Birmingham City manager Harry Redknapp seems keen on Lois DionyA price tag of just £3 million ensures the striker is most certainly affordable.

And, with just two goals less than Mounie in Ligue 1 last season, and valued at a much lower fee, Diony could prove better value for money for Fulham.