Brest's French midfielder Ibrahima Diallo (L) vies with Rennes' French forward Jordan Siebatcheu during the French L1 football match Brest against Rennes September 14, 2019 at the Francis Le Ble stadium in Brest, western France. (Getty Images)
According to Onze Mundial (h/t The Leicester Mercury), Leicester City are interested in signing Stade Brestois midfielder Ibrahima Diallo in the summer.
Ibrahima Diallo, 20, joined Stade Brestois from AS Monaco last summer. He is enjoying a breakout season in Ligue 1 and has made 18 appearances for the newly promoted French side, registering an assist so far.
The 20-year-old, who was heavily linked with Leicester City during the January transfer window, is now rated at around €16m, the report adds. (h/t The Leicester Mercury)
The Foxes are on a poor run of form currently – having failed to win any of their last four Premier League games – but they remain in third place. Jamie Vardy has benefited massively under Brendan Rodgers’ guidance but this Leicester side is more than just Vardy and James Maddison. The likes of Wilfred Ndidi, Youri Tielemans, Ayoze Perez, Ben Chilwell and Ricardo Pereira have performed exceptionally well so far.
Most of Leicester’s success on the pitch has to be attributed to a strong defence that has conceded just 28 goals in as many games. For Brendan Rodgers’ side, Jonny Evans and Caglar Soyuncu have formed a formidable pairing at the back. Also, Ndidi has been a major reason for Rodgers’ side conceding just 28 goals.
Ndidi has been a regular fixture in the Leicester side this season and his commanding presence in midfield has helped the Foxes click in all departments. But the Nigerian has endured injury problems of late and in his absence, Leicester have struggled. Their recent results are enough to understand how important Ndidi is to the team, with Rodgers struggling to fill the midfielder’s void.
In Ndidi’s absence, Hamza Choudhury has played in the deeper role in Rodgers’ 4-1-4-1 system. But Choudhury has shown himself to lack the discipline required for the position as he was sent off recently in the 0-0 draw with Wolves. Also, Rodgers is likely to allow Papy Mendy to leave King Power Stadium on a free transfer when his contract expires. (h/t The Leicester Mercury)
That would leave Rodgers with just two defensive midfielders in Ndidi and Choudhury. Considering Leicester are in a good position to qualify for the Champions League next season, Rodgers must beef up his squad to compete on all fronts. Having said that, signing midfielder Ibrahima Diallo would certainly make sense for the Foxes.
Diallo has performed very well for Stade Brestois in Ligue 1 this campaign. His inclusion in Leicester’s squad would also bring healthy competition within the team. And he can be a suitable replacement for Mendy, who is out of contract at the end of the season.
The Stade Brestois midfielder is just 20 years old and can develop his game under Rodgers at the King Power Stadium. Therefore, the Foxes must be able to sign Diallo in the summer as he can be their player in the long run.
