Valencia plan to sell Mouctar Diakhaby in January with the reported Leicester City and Newcastle United target facing a difficult couple of months in La Liga, as reported by Deporte Valenciano.
Three games into the new season and the former France U21 international is still awaiting his first start under new Los Che coach Jose Bordalas.
In fact, while he’s come off the bench in all three of those fixtures, the fact Diakhaby has accumulated a grand total of nine minutes on the pitch suggests Bordalas sees him as less of a first-choice option and more like someone capable of coming off the bench and shoring things up at the end of a hard-fought encounter.
Such a role is unlikely to keep the ambitious Diakhaby happy for long.
According to AS, the former Lyon youngster had his heart set on a move to Leicester City in the transfer window – and it doesn’t take a genius to work out why.
In Brendan Rodgers, the Foxes have a coach famed for helping talented youngsters realise their potential and Diakhaby, a man whose development has plateaued during three years on the Castellon coast, could certainly do with a bit of Brendy magic.
Leicester and Newcastle want Mouctar Diakhaby
Newcastle are understood to have made an offer late in the window – albeit one that fell short of Valencia’s £9 million asking price – while West Ham have been linked too.
It remains to be seen, having signed Kurt Zouma and Jannik Vestergaard before the September transfer deadline, whether West Ham or Leicester are still in the market for a central defender.
That, then, could leave Newcastle as Diakhaby’s most likely destination, if Mike Ashley is prepared to splash out that amount.
It’s no secret Steve Bruce is desperate for defensive reinforcements. He recently admitted as much himself.
Valencia still hope to find a buyer for Diakhaby but doing so could be easier said than done. Even super-agent Jorge Mendes couldn’t find a way to free the £13 million benchwarmer from his Mestalla purgatory.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
