Lazio ‘to target’ Bamba Dieng as Gattuso rules out Noslin as striker | OneFootball

Lazio are weighing a move for Lorient striker Bamba Dieng, who is set to become a free agent at the end of the month. Gennaro Gattuso has been appointed head coach, though official confirmation has yet to arrive, and the 48-year-old is expecting at least four additions, with a striker at the top of his list.

According to Il Messaggero, Tijjani Noslin was proposed as an internal option through the middle, but Gattuso does not view him as the right profile to lead the line. He is instead seen in any of the three roles behind the striker in a 4-2-3-1.

Noslin is also an option on the right, where Gustav Isaksen is expected to cement a starting berth. That could free Matteo Cancellieri, who is reportedly waiting for Fiorentina’s offer.

With Noslin ruled out centrally, and Boulaye Dia and Petar Ratkov deemed unconvincing, Lazio must buy a new marksman this summer. Cagliari’s Sebastiano Esposito has been floated, but that path is considered unlikely as the 23-year-old is not the consistent goalscorer the Aquile seek.

Dieng is viewed as a plausible solution. The 26-year-old Senegal international earned his World Cup place after scoring 16 goals in 26 appearances across all competitions, and he was preferred to Lazio’s Dia, who missed out.

He began at Diambers in Senegal before joining Marseille in 2020, then moved to Lorient in January 2023. After a loan at Angers, he returned to Les Merlus last summer and produced the best campaign of his career.

Source: The Laziali