Boulaye Dia has established himself as an integral member of Reims (Image credit: Google)
As per Le10 Sport (h/t Sussex Live), Brighton and Hove Albion are interested in Stade Reims star Boulaye Dia to bolster their attack ahead of next season.
The report suggests that the striker could be available for £13m but the Seagulls face competition from Marseille to secure his services as the Ligue 1 side are also keen to make a move for him. However, with the financial situations, the report suggests that Brighton are in a stronger position than the French side and have already held talks with Dia.
Born in France, Dia began his career with Jura Sud Foot’s youth academy. He excelled with the club’s senior set-up for a year and was signed by Reims in the summer of 2018. He initially struggled for game time in his debut season at Stade Auguste-Delaune.
However, he established himself as a key member of the squad in the 2019/20 campaign and finished as the club’s top scorer with 7 goals in Ligue 1 when the league came to an abrupt end. He helped his side finish in the 5th position and played a key role in Reims’ run to the semifinals of Coupe de la Ligue competition.
Graham Potter’s side haven’t been at their best in the last two campaign, finished in the 17th and 15th position respectively. And one of the key reasons for their lowly finishes is the lack of goals in the last two seasons. They managed to score just 39 goals in 38 league games this term, which is poor according to the standards of the Premier League.
At the moment, they have only two proper strikers in Neal Maupay and Aaron Connolly. The Frenchman was their top scorer with 10 league goals and apart from that, no one managed to score enough.
Moreover, Connolly is just 20 and needs experience to lead the line week in and week out. Glenn Murray is already 36 and is reaching the end of his career. Thus, a striker is a must if they are to do better in the following campaigns.
In that regard, Dia would be a viable option for the club. The Frenchman has been in sensational form this season and could be a massive boost to Brighton’s attacking unit. His presence would definitely bring healthy competition, whilst also adding depth to the squad.
He is just 23 and could develop himself under the guidance of Potter. They could do well with an in-form centre-forward next season.
With Murray having just one year left on his contract and Connolly too young to lead the attack, the Seagulls need to bring in a striker to provide competition to Maupay up front. And Dia has all the attributes to succeed at the top level. He can provide them with quality and help them increase their goal tally. Thus, signing him would be a wise decision by the club.
