Leeds United fans tuned in to watch England against Senegal on Tuesday night, not to watch The Three Lions but to see new Elland Road target Habib Diarra in action.
The 21-year-old Strasbourg skipper started for Senegal on Tuesday night at The City Ground as England suffered a dismal 3-1 defeat to Diarra’s men. Indeed, Diarra scored Senegal’s second goal on the night.
Leeds have made a £22m bid for Diarra, though Leeds chiefs are not particularly confident of a deal with Strasbourg expected to delay a reply to Leeds as they hope for a bidding war and larger Diarra offers.
Leeds fans want Diarra signed after watching him on Tuesday night, but he was not the only Senegal player to impress. Indeed, Leeds need a left-back and Senegal’s left-sided defender was excellent.
Leeds fans urge 49ers to consider El Hadji Malick Diouf
A near-namesake to former Leeds and Liverpool striker El Hadji Diouf, Slavia Prague left-back Diouf was excellent at Nottingham Forest’s home stadium. He completely got the better of Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka.
Leeds need a left-back with Junior Firpo ‘widely anticipated’ to leave Elland Road. AC Milan and Lyon are in talks to sign Dominican Republic international Firpo, with three weeks left on his Leeds contract.
Taking to social media while watching Diarra in action during England’s defeat to Senegal, Leeds fans urged the club to consider a move for Slavia Prague’s Diouf to replace Firpo in the coming weeks.
Diouf clearly made an impression, with one Leeds fan saying “get the LB Diouf signed up”. Another said Diouf is the left-back Leeds should be signing “immediately”, as he pocketed Saka on Tuesday night.
There is Premier League interest in Senegal ace Diouf, with the 20-year-old having a hand in 11 goals for Slavia Prague last season. Another posted on social media: “Get this Diouf at leeds. Cracking delivery.”
Another urged Leeds to get Diouf “signed up”, while another described the Senegal wonderkid as the “best LB I’ve ever seen”. The issue for interested clubs is, that Diouf has a contract until June 2028.
How much would Leeds have to pay to sign El Hadji Malick Diouf?
As aforementioned, Premier League clubs are tracking Senegal ace Diouf. The Sun linked Brighton with a move for the defender in February after the winter window, with clubs requested to pay a huge £22m.
The same amount, typically, that Leeds have bid for Diarra. The Whites are clearly happy to pay that kind of fee but when it comes to defenders, the club may prefer someone with Premier League experience.
But Diouf will be on the move this summer and with the player said to be keen on a move to England’s top tier, perhaps it would come as no surprise to see Leeds enter the bidding to land the Senegal star.
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