Stoke City and Swansea City lining up RB Salzburg transfer raid ahead of January 2026 | OneFootball

The two Championship sides could bolster their squads with the Champions League-experienced midfielder

Championship duo Stoke City and Swansea City are reportedly set to battle for RB Salzburg midfielder Mamady Diambou.

That’s according to a report from Africa Foot, who reveal that the two English sides are set to do battle with a host of clubs in Europe.

The 23-year-old has gained experience on the European stage, claiming outings against the likes Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen to his name.

Given the preferred setup of both Stoke and Swansea’s managers, Diambou would appear to be a good fit on paper.

Stoke City and Swansea City express transfer interest in RB Salzburg

The report from Africa Foot claims that, of the two second-tier sides, Stoke are the most advanced in their negotiations, stating the Potters are “very active in pursuing the player” with steps already said to have been taken to get a deal over the line.

Swansea, on the other hand, are just said to have “expressed an interest”, with Czech outfit Slavia Prague another potential suitor named.

Negotiations could become even more crowded still, with clubs in Belgium, Turkey and Spain said to be watching the situation.

The midfielder signed a new deal with his current employers just over a year ago, with the terms of that agreement to run until June 2028, so the Austrian side are firmly in the driving seat for any upcoming negotiations, whether that happens in January or the summer.

Given the level of interest, however, if Stoke and Swansea are serious about the signing, they may need to move sooner rather than later to get it over the line.

Mamady Diambou would add a wealth of experience

Although only 23, being at Salzburg has exposed Diambou to a level of football many players in the Stoke and Swansea squads will not have reached before.

This season has not been the most active for the Malian, making just five league starts, one in the qualification stage of the Champions League and another start coming in the Europa League, after dropping out of the aforementioned qualifiers.

That is perhaps why a move away makes sense, but it doesn’t detract from the experience he has already gained with the side.

Just last season, he made seven appearances in the Champions League, including a midfield start in Salzburg’s 3-1 win over Feyenoord, under ex-manager and current Manchester City assistant Pep Lijnders.

He also appeared in away trips to Leverkusen and Los Blancos, a team he later faced in the Club World Cup, and at home against a huge Spanish side Atletico Madrid.

Many of those matches were difficult outings, but were against a level of opposition many current Championship players will be unfamiliar with.

Mamady Diambou would likely find minutes under Mark Robins and Vitor Matos

Coincidentally, Swansea and Stoke’s most recent league outing saw them face each other at the bet365 Stadium.

One notable thing from that clash was the propensity of respective bosses Vitor Matos and Mark Robins to start two holding midfielders in the centre of the pitch.

That is ideally where Diambou would play his football, meaning he has two potential spots to fill in either interested side.

Stoke, who appear the most interested based on the report, have a particularly evident vacancy, as 36-year-old Steven Nzonzi has been relied on to make 11 appearances so far this season in the role.

Given his age, that is clearly not a scenario with a long-term future looking ahead, so recruiting a younger talent in that role seems sensible for the Potters.

Nevertheless, with the reported interest from multiple sides in Diambou, Stoke have a battle on their hands if they want the Salzburg man.