Blackburn, Leicester, Oxford & Portsmouth set to tussle for 15-goal striker | OneFootball

Four Championship clubs have been linked to a former Marseille star with 26 caps for his national team and an international title under his belt.

Four Championship clubs have been linked to striker Bamba Dieng, whose CV includes a season at Marseille and one of international football's biggest prizes.

The race to stay in the Championship for 2026-27 is reaching its conclusion, and we could soon have the final confirmation of the three who will be playing League One football next season.

Sheffield Wednesday and Leicester City are already confirmed, and Oxford United will join them unless they can pull off a great escape by winning their final two matches while hoping that either West Bromwich Albion or Charlton Athletic lose both of theirs.

Thoughts among these clubs will already be turning to summer reinforcements. Whether a club is looking to regain their place in the Championship or improve upon this year's final position, it promises to be a busy summer in the transfer market.

And now no fewer than four clubs who have been involved in this relegation race have all been linked with a move for an international striker who's played for one of France's biggest club sides.

Four English clubs and one German club named in the race for Bamba Dieng

Posting to the social media platform X, journalist Pete O'Rourke has claimed that Blackburn Rovers, Leicester City, Oxford United and Portsmouth could be set to tussle for the Senegalese international Bamba Dieng, who is currently playing in Ligue 1 for Lorient. O'Rourke also confirms that they could be joined in this race by the German side St Pauli.

Dieng's contract is understood to expire this summer, meaning that he is available on a free transfer. He has been a regular in the Lorient team since breaking through with them in November, scoring an impressive 15 goals in 22 appearances for them in all competitions. Lorient are mid-table in Ligue 1, with four games of their season left to play.

The 26-year-old is an established Ligue 1 forward, who has also played for Marseille and Angers. In addition to this, he also has 26 caps for the Senegal international team and has scored six goals for them. He was part of their team which won the African Cup of Nations in 2021.

Bamba Dieng has a strong record at both club and international level - is a Championship move calling?

Bamba Dieng's club career has so far been played entirely in France, after being spotted by the giants Marseille while playing for Diambar in the Senegalese Premier League. He signed for the club in 2020 on a loan-to-buy deal and broke into their first team in February 2021, scoring on his debut for them in a Coupe de France match against Auxerre.

The 2021-22 season saw him make 36 appearances for Marseille in all competitions, scoring eight goals. This included 25 appearances in Ligue Un and five in the Europa Conference League.

He signed a two-and-a-half year contract with Lorient in January 2023 for £6m plus £2.5 million in add-ons, but spent the 2024-25 season on loan with Angers after Lorient were relegated, for whom he scored five goals in twenty appearances. Returning to Lorient after they were promoted back at the first attempt, he has settled into a regular first-team place this season.

His international career is equally impressive. He made his international debut for Senegal in October 2021 and was called up for AFCON 2021, which was held in January 2022. He scored his first international goal for them in their 2-0 Round of 16 win against Cape Verde, and also scored in the penalty shootout which won them the tournament against Egypt.

With such a pedigree, it's not surprising that there will be a lot of competition to lure the forward to England, and interest may not be limited to these four clubs alone.