Leicester’s £13.5m pursuit of this 20-year-old starlet would be quite useful and here’s why

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Rohan Sengupta

Why Leicester City must sign Ibrahima Diallo from Brest

According to French podcast Brest On Air (h/t The Sun), Leicester City have made a £13.5million bid to sign Ibrahima Diallo from Brest.

Ibrahima Diallo, 20, came through the AS Monaco academy. He has featured in 18 league games this term for Brest, making himself a regular in the Ligue 1. His performances in the Brest midfield have also caught Sevilla’s attention but the 20-year-old is believed to be reluctant to leave the club this month, the report adds. (h/t The Sun)

The Foxes have enjoyed a good Premier League season and are currently third in the table. The Midlands outfit have impressed under Brendan Rodgers, especially with attacking players like Jamie Vardy, James Maddison, Ayoze Perez, Harvey Barnes and Youri Tielemans linking up in the best possible way and destroying teams in the league.

Brest's French midfielder Ibrahima Diallo (L) vies with Nantes' French midfielder Abdoulaye Toure during the French L1 football match between Brest and Nantes on November 23, 2019, at the Francis Le Ble stadium in Brest, northwestern France. (Getty Images)
Brest’s French midfielder Ibrahima Diallo (L) vies with Nantes’ French midfielder Abdoulaye Toure during the French L1 football match between Brest and Nantes on November 23, 2019, at the Francis Le Ble Stadium in Brest, northwestern France. (Getty Images)

That said, Leicester City have had injury problems of late, with Jamie Vardy succumbing to a muscle injury in last week’s 4-1 victory over West Ham. He missed the Foxes’ FA Cup fourth-round victory over Brentford at the weekend. Along with Vardy, Nampalys Mendy also got injured against West Ham. As Mendy will be out for four to six weeks with a knee injury, Rodgers must replace him before the transfer window slams shut.

Hence, the Foxes must go all out for Ibrahima Diallo. The 20-year-old has enjoyed a strong season with Brest, managing 21 appearances across all competitions so far. He has been one of the few bright sparks in an otherwise disappointing campaign for Brest, who are currently 14th in the Ligue 1 table.

Caglar Soyuncu of Leicester City shakes hands with Brendan Rodgers, Manager of Leicester City during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Newcastle United at The King Power Stadium on September 29, 2019 in Leicester, United Kingdom. (Getty Images)
Caglar Soyuncu of Leicester City shakes hands with Brendan Rodgers, Manager of Leicester City during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Newcastle United at The King Power Stadium on September 29, 2019, in Leicester, United Kingdom. (Getty Images)

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At the tender age of 20, Diallo has become a reliable Ligue 1 player. The Frenchman is performing well and he would bolster Leicester’s midfield options while adding depth to Rodgers’ squad.

Verdict

After Mendy’s knee injury, Rodgers should address the Foxes’ midfield as soon as possible. Hence, Leicester must do everything in their powers to secure Diallo’s signature.