Southampton have reportedly turned their attention to signing Bamba Dieng after missing out on securing a transfer deal for Nicolas Jackson.
The Saints were in the race to sign Jackson from Villarreal this month, only to end up seeing him join fellow Premier League side Bournemouth.
Now into the final week of the winter window, the south coast club have found a potential alternative to the new Cherries figure.
In a recent Twitter post, journalist Ryan Taylor had this to say on the matter:
“Southampton showing interest in Marseille forward Bamba Dieng after Bournemouth struck deal for target Nicolas Jackson. Unclear how high he is on attacking shortlist for Nathan Jones but exploratory talks held. Lorient move still possible.”
Having made 54 senior appearances for Marseille, the 22-year-old has found the net 11 times and delivered four assists.
Described as an “explosive player with great potential” by Jorge Sampaoli, the Senegal striker has also found himself being likened to former Premier League star Didier Drogba in terms of his attacking style according to El Hadji Diouf.
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The previous summer transfer window saw Dieng almost make a move to England, with Leeds United having agreed a £10m deal for him, only for OGC Nice to try and snatch him away from the Whites.
A failed medical with Nice then led to the striker staying at Marseille, where he has since only started two of the 12 games he’s appeared in.
Taking that into account, the prospect of finally moving to the Premier League and playing regularly could be a very exciting next step for the centre-forward.
With time running out for the south coast club to make any more signings this month, Jones and his recruitment staff need to come to a decision sooner rather than later over whether they feel the Marseille youngster would be a suitable addition to Southampton and increase their chances of avoiding relegation.