According to reports in Turkey as cited by Nottingham Post, Nottingham Forest are ready to move for former Leeds United target Mbaye Diagne. The striker is currently on loan with Club Brugge after moving to Turkish heavyweights Galatasaray not too long ago.
This is not the first time that Diagne has attracted interest from English clubs as the Whites were heavily linked with him from 2018 to 2019. It was believed that a move for Diagne to an unknown English club didn’t work out then because of work permit issues.
When Leeds were interested in him, the striker played for Turkish outfit Kasimpasa where he had a terrific record as he managed 32 goals in 36 appearances. His impressive form then earned him a move to Turkish giants Galatasaray where he did reasonably well. Diagne has featured 20 times for Galatasaray and has bagged 11 goals and two assists for them.
Hence, it was slightly surprising to see him leave on loan in the summer of 2019. Diagne started well even for Club Brugge, but he had a fallout with the manager. The striker hasn’t been involved since November. The significant reason for the fallout was because Diagne took a penalty in the Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain even though he wasn’t the designated spot-kick taker. The Senegalese international missed the spot-kick, and the manager fined him after that incident. Brugge lost that tie 1-0.
Now Nottingham Forest are interested in him, and he is being valued at around €6-8m. Last summer reports emerged that he was being valued around £11m. So his stocks have gone down a bit in the past year.
Should Leeds United revisit their former target?
Diagne might seem to have a bit of a disciplinary issue, but it cannot be denied that he has scored goals wherever he has gone. Even in the Belgian top flight, he has four goals to his name in six appearances before he had the fallout with his manager.
Diagne can play as a striker or on the left flank. The striker is a livewire in and around the box as his positional sense is top-notch. He is often able to find himself in the right place to score a goal. He also has that physical side to his game which makes it tough for defenders to outmuscle him.
However, Leeds are on the verge of getting promoted to the top flight, and they should probably look to aim higher. If they would have been set to play in the Championship again, then Diagne could have been a handy signing. Moreover, given Bielsa’s intolerance for lack of discipline, Diagne might not be the right personality for the Argentine manager. Hence, even though the 28-year-old is now available on a cheaper deal than last summer, Leeds should not look to go after him.
