M'Baye Niang has been in fine form for Rennes in the last two campaigns (Getty Images)
According to a report from the Daily Star, Brighton & Hove Albion have entered the race to sign Senegalese forward M’Baye Niang from Ligue 1 outfit Rennes in the summer.
Niang spent the formative years of his career at Basse-Seine Les Mureaux, AS Poissy and SM Caen. The forward made 30 appearances for Caen, scoring 5 goals, before joining AC Milan in 2012. However, he failed to establish himself as a regular at the Serie A club and had a number of loan spells away at Montpellier, Genoa, Watford and Torino.
Having made 79 appearances for the Rossoneri, in which he scored 12 goals, Niang left Milan permanently in 2018, joining Torino. He was immediately loaned out to Rennes that summer, before the French outfit made his transfer permanent last year. Till date, he has featured 80 times for the club, bagging 29 goals and 9 assists.
Brighton, meanwhile, have had a below-par campaign under Graham Potter. While there have been positives with respect to the style of play, the Seagulls have struggled to translate that into good results. At the time of suspension of football, they were 15th in the Premier League table, just two points above the relegation zone.
The lack of goals has been a major problem for Brighton over the course of the 2019/20 campaign. They have scored just 32 goals in the Premier League. Only six teams have scored fewer than Potter’s men, two of whom are in the relegation zone.
Neal Maupay was signed in a big-money deal last summer and the forward has delivered 8 goals in the league – a quarter of Brighton’s total goal tally. After him though, there’s precious little quality in the centre-forward department. Veteran striker Glenn Murray has managed just a solitary goal. At 36, he is in the final stages of his career and needs replacement.
Aaron Connolly is another option and while he has impressed in bursts, at 20, the attacker lacks the requisite experience. Furthermore, none of the wide players, apart from Leandro Trossard to an extent, have been able to make an impression. Hence, it becomes imperative for the Seagulls to bolster their attacking unit before next season.
Niang, to that end, would be an option worth considering. The 25-year-old has been in fine form since joining Rennes in 2018. The forward managed 14 goals and 7 assists in 44 matches in all competitions last season. In the 2019/20 season, he has finished with an impressive tally of 15 goals and 2 assists in 36 games.
Able to play as a centre-forward or on either flank, Niang would strengthen Brighton’s attacking department without a doubt. And if he manages to carry his current form forward, the 25-year-old would prove to be a fine acquisition for the Seagulls.
Brighton’s attacking department lacks quality and depth, with nobody apart from Neal Maupay making a decent impression. Hence, signing a new forward in the summer would bode them well. Niang, in that regard, would be a great addition for the Seagulls. The 25-year-old has been in fine form over the last two years and his versatility would make him an asset to the club.
