Burnley And Derby County Face ‘Wary Of’ Issue In Transfer Chase | OneFootball

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Burnley and Derby County both like free agent Bamba Dieng, but the striker ‘is wary of dropping’ into the Championship, according to journalist Alan Nixon.

Dieng, who came close to joining Leeds United in the summer of 2022, but ultimately snubbed the Whites on deadline day, is set to leave Lorient when his deal expires and could go to England this time.

As a free agent, the Senegal international has been generating substantial interest in his services and now further interest has arrived from England.

Both Burnley and Derby are looking at snapping up Dieng on a free transfer, but face a key issue they would have to overcome.

Dieng, who has offers from elsewhere, is wary about dropping into a second tier.

Apart from a brief stint in Ligue 2, which lasted just weeks before he sealed a loan move, Dieng has been playing all his football in France’s top flight.

The striker made his mark at Marseille before then joining Lorient.

Lorient managed to hold off a hijack attempt from Everton, and Leeds again, to sign Dieng from Marseille.

Burnley may make the case to Dieng that they are well placed to bounce straight back up to the Premier League, citing recent promotions, while Derby are ambitious to continue to progress under John Eustace.

If Dieng has offers from top flight clubs on his table though then that would make life even more difficult for the Championship pair.

There is also the further issue that Dieng is in action at the World Cup with Senegal and if he performs well on the big stage, more clubs could yet be tempted to move for a player who is still only just 26 years old.

As a free agent, Dieng can afford to take his time before deciding what to do and could even join a club after the transfer window closes.

Senegal have been placed in Group I at the event in North America, along with France, Iraq and Norway.

Burnley and Derby will be hoping the African country do not make it past the group stage, leaving Dieng free to focus on his future at an earlier date.

Senegal are due to kick off their campaign by taking on the mighty France in New York City on Tuesday, and the Championship pair are sure to be watching Dieng if he plays.

Dieng has been capped on 23 occasions by Senegal, however he has only struck twice, with Saido Mane the leading scorer in the squad with 55 goals to his name.