Everton ‘still’ in race for Bamba Dieng

Everton are reportedly ‘still’ in the race to sign Marseille striker Bamba Dieng, and are ‘ready’ to make an offer.

The Lowdown: Were in pole position

Everton were reportedly in pole position at one point to sign Dieng in the summer, but he ended up staying at Marseille.

However, it has recently been reported that fellow Ligue 1 club Lorient had agreed a swap deal with them that would see Dieng move to Lorient, and striker Terem Moffi come the other way, but are now working on both deals as separate transfers.

The Latest: Everton ‘still’ in race

Taking to Twitter, Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna is now reporting that Marseille could stop Dieng going to Lorient, if Moffi does not end up signing with them.

Dieng did have a medical scheduled for this morning, but Aouna adds that the Goodison Park outfit, as well as fellow Premier League rivals Southampton, are ‘still’ in with a chance of signing him, and are ‘ready’ to make an offer of their own:

“Info: Dieng.

“OM are ready to question the Dieng-Lorient deal if Moffi does not sign in Marseille.

“Dieng is in Lorient, his VM is scheduled for this morning.

“Everton and Southampton are still there and ready to draw an offer.”

The Verdict: Get it done

After losing out on Arnaut Danjuma to Tottenham Hotspur, the Merseyside club will no doubt be desperate to bring a new attacker in by the end of the window, and Dieng is a player that could help them in their relegation fight.

Hailed as ‘explosive’ with ‘great potential’ by his former coach Jorge Sampaoli after winning the Ligue 1 Uber Eats Young Player of the Month for September, the 22-year-old has also been described as a ‘real talent’ by journalist Robin Bairner.

Dieng played his part in Senegal winning the most recent Africa Cup of Nations, scoring once in his five appearances, while he also found the back of the net at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

At club level, he has been no stranger to scoring goals either, netting ten times in the last two seasons, including two strikes in 12 appearances so far this season (Transfermarkt).

Dieng may not be the most prolific, but he ranks in the 97th percentile of all forwards in Europe’s top five leagues for non-penalty xG and 91st for shots taken (FBRef), showing that if he is given enough chances, he can make things happen for the Toffees in the Premier League.

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