Derby County told why Burnley could derail 'exciting' World Cup transfer | OneFootball

FLW's Rams Fan Pundit shares his view on Senegal international Bamba Dieng possibly joining the East Midlands outfit

The summer transfer window opened on Monday, and Derby County could look to get some early business done.

According to journalist Alan Nixon via his Patreon, the Rams and Burnley have both entered the race for Senegal international striker Bamba Dieng.

Other Championship sides, namely West Bromwich Albion and Queens Park Rangers, have also been credited with interest in the same player, as per an earlier report from Pete O'Rourke.

The 26-year-old striker scored 15 goals across all competitions for Ligue 1 side Lorient last season, and confirmed his departure from the Brittany-based club in May.

He announced on Instagram that "the time has come for me to turn an important page in my career," bringing the curtain down on his two-and-a-half-year spell at the French club.

Now though, one Rams fan has warned that a free-agent deal for the forward could still prove out of reach.

Why Burnley could derail 'exciting' Derby County, World Cup transfer

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FLW’s Derby County Fan Pundit, Shaun Woodward, sees obvious appeal in the Senegalese forward, but has been quick to lower expectations when it comes to matching Burnley's financial pull.

"Yeah, Bamba Dieng looks quite an exciting prospect," he said.

"He’s still a very good age, probably coming into the best years of his career - had a bit of a slow career up until now - it was obviously his standout season last season.

"But up until that point, he hadn’t really set the world alight, but hopefully that shows that he’s coming into his best years and if it’s a signing we can get over the line, then it’s one I'd be really excited about."

Back in the summer of 2022, the striker appeared to be on the verge of a Premier League move when Leeds United agreed a £10m fee with Marseille on Deadline Day, only for Nice to dramatically hijack the deal, before Dieng then failed a medical at the Ligue 1 club.

Then-Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani had even "welcomed" Dieng on social media before the chaos unfolded.

He later signed for a reported fee of €10m at Lorient, including add-ons, yet hardly played or scored for them until 25/26. A loan spell at Angers in 24/25 yielded just three league goals from 18 appearances.

Woodward added, "However, if we’re up against the likes of Burnley, which I believe we are, then realistically we don’t have much chance - because we just can’t be competing with teams that have just been relegated with parachute payments."

Considering there'll be no transfer fee involved, the only aspect of the deal that would be competed for is the players' wages. According to Capology estimates, Dieng was earning €17.5k per week last season at Lorient, which works out at around £15k per week in GBP.

Derby County warned not to 'pay over the odds' for Bamba Dieng

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The Fan Pundit concluded by saying, "If we miss out, so be it. I’d rather do that then pay over the odds for a player that has never played English football - so it would be a big risk.

"But, equally, if we could get him, I’d be happy."

When you line up Dieng’s estimated salary against Derby’s Capology figures from last season, he would have sat as the Rams’ eighth‑highest earner had he been on the same wages he received at Lorient.

Clearly, if the East Midlands outfit are actually interested in him, you'd like to think they'd offer him a competitive wage - but Burnley's parachute payments might be too strong.

Ultimately, you can imagine Derby will be in the market for a couple of striker reinforcements this summer.

While Patrick Agyemang is still in the early stages of his recovery from an Achilles injury, there are surely question marks over Lars‑Jørgen Salvesen, given the Norwegian managed only three Championship starts last season.

Whether Dieng is one of them remains to be seen, but Woodward seems a little wary of a potential deal from a financial point of view.