Scottish giants Celtic have received a transfer update about Stephane Diarra, for whom they are looking to beat Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester in the transfer race.
The Le Mans midfielder has been linked with a move to Celtic, Leicester and Steve Bruce’s Newcastle United in recent days. And the French club’s president Thierry Gomez was talking to Ouest France about the links.
He said: “We’ll need to get used to these rumours. After that I’m not unhappy if some of our players are of interest to other clubs, that’s just proof that we’re working well. So far we haven’t had any offers. After that, Stephane knows where he’s come from.
“We went and got him from Rennes when he was having a difficult time, we’ve relaunched him well. If something were to happen, it would happen with our support.”
Lighting it up in Ligue 2
Still 20, Diarra is a product of the Evian youth academy. For Le Mans this season, he has been a regular for the Ligue 2 club- like he was for the club in the third division of French football last season.
This season, the youngster has played 16 times in all competitions for the club. He has scored three times, assisting twice. He has predominantly played on the right flank, but he has been used in the left side of the midfield too.
He was crucial for the club in their promotion to the second-division last season as well. He had managed to play 31 times in the league, scoring three times. He had also played twice in the promotion play-off, racking up one assist.
He had joined the club on a loan deal from Rennes in the summer of 2018. But after impressive performances for Le Mans last season, his move was made permanent this past summer.
He hadn’t made a single first-team appearance for Rennes during his spell at the club. But he did play six times for Evian as a teenager, assisting once in the Ligue 2 back in the 2015-16 season.
TIF Tactics
The interest around Diarra shows that many recognised clubs see him as a player with a good amount of potential. It is rare to see a player in the second division of France get as much attention. Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kante belong to that category of players who made a name for themselves in the second division of France before making it big in Europe.
For Celtic, the £450k-rated midfielder could be a key player in the future. Considering that he’s still 20, he could be loaned for a club till the time Jonny Hayes leaves and his contract runs out in the summer of 2020.
The Hoops have Hayes and James Forrest as their options on the right of midfield, meaning that Hayes’ exit could leave them short in that position soon. And if he does leave for free, they could be short of resources to sign a well-known player.
But Diarra presents an option with potential and ability. He could be just what they need in the long-term. Having Forrest play in front of him could ease the transition of playing for the club.
Since Hayes has been linked with moves to Swansea, Cardiff and Huddersfield, the right of midfield could be a position Celtic strengthen soon.