Crystal Palace are among a number of Premier League clubs interested in Olympique de Marseille's Bamba Dieng, according to French outlet La Provence. 

The lowdown

Dieng, who can play as a centre forward and as a winger, joined OM from Senegalese outfit Diambars FC last summer.

He was swiftly rewarded with a contract extension last month, with his value consequently climbing to £7.2million.

He's currently preparing for the Africa Cup of Nations, having impressed Aliou Cisse enough in the autumn to earn a place in the squad.

The latest

The report from France says that Dieng, pursued by Belgian and Dutch clubs last summer, has now 'attracted the attention of English scouts'.

As per the publication's sources, no concrete offers have arrived just yet, but the interest of Palace, along with West Ham, Aston Villa and Newcastle United, is 'real'.

It may be a difficult deal to pull off, though. Marseille are said to be delighted with Dieng's performances, while the player himself is 'very happy' in the south of France.

The verdict

Why might Dieng have 'attracted attention'? Well, he's hit the ground running at Jorge Sampaoli's side, scoring in three of the seven Ligue 1 games he's started.

His most recent goal, a 'stunning acrobatic effort' against Strasbourg in December, was viewed 128,300 times when posted on BT Sport's official Twitter account.

And compatriot El-Hadji Diouf, formerly of the Premier League, has even likened him to Didier Drogba and claimed he'll score two out of every three chances.

After Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze, could this be the next 'rising star' added to the Palace attack?

In other news, fans react to links with a PL-based forward.