Southampton midfielder not in Russell Martin's plans set to leave | OneFootball

Southampton were always expected to have a significant turnover of players following their relegation from the Premier League, and another name looks set to be added to the list of departures.

Midfielder Ibrahima Diallo is expected to complete his move to Qatari based side Al Duhail imminently, after reports have surfaced stating he is not in new boss Russell Martin's plans for the upcoming Championship campaign.

Diallo will follow the recent trend of players searching for pastures new in the Middle East, with rumours rife regarding transfers to the top-flight in both Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

So far the Saints have only sold Croatian playmaker Miroslav Orsic to Trabzonspor in a deal that involves a transfer fee, but it is to be expected that Diallo will be added to the list as the club try to shuffle their pack before the opening game of the season against Sheffield Wednesday, which is now only three weeks away.

Who is Ibrahima Diallo?

Having come through the ranks at the AS Monaco academy between 2014 and 2018, Diallo made his senior debut for fellow French outfit Stade Brest whilst on loan in a Coupe de la Ligue fixture against Sochaux.

Having made a further 46 appearances for Brest after making the initial loan deal permanent, Diallo was touted by Southampton in the summer of 2020 for an undisclosed fee on a four-year contract.

Having made his debut for the Saints under Ralph Hassenhuttl in a 3-3 draw against Chelsea, he would make his first Premier League start two months later.

Overall for Southampton, Diallo has featured 80 times in all competitions, scoring a solitary goal in a Carabao Cup fixture against Sheffield United.

During Southampton's relegation campaign last time out, the Frenchman featured just 17 times in the Premier League under Hasenhuttl, Nathan Jones, and latterly Ruben Selles. This was the least amount of game time the central midfielder has had in his three years on the South Coast.

What is Ibrahima Diallo worth?

It was first revealed in April, just weeks before Southampton's eleven-year tenure in the top-flight was officially over that Diallo didn't plan on staying at the club as they fell through the relegation trap door, as per Turkish outlet Takvim.

This came at a time when Diallo was linked with eventual Turkish Super Lig champions Galatasaray, and the aforementioned report suggests that the centre-back's valuation is in the region of £8m.

With Diallo's current contract at the club set to expire next summer, this window presents the club with their only opportunity of recouping some of the fee paid to Brest three years ago, in an attempt to avoid making a significant loss on his services.

A problem position this window?

Despite Diallo mainly being utilised as a squad player under the trio of managers last season, he represents yet another Saints midfielder targeted by a vast array of clubs in this transfer window, and Russell Martin will need to address this area of the field sharpish before the opening weeks of the season.

It has also been revealed that Stuart Armstrong is wanted by Serie A side Torino, as well as the constant rumours which link star men James Ward-Prowse and Romeo Lavia to top Premier League clubs.

There has been speculation that Martin will make a move for his former Swansea midfielder Matt Grimes, but nothing concrete has been reported as of yet.