Fulham and West Ham United are set to battle it out for the services of Djibril Sidibe to bring the 29-year-old French defender back to the Premier League.
According to Football Insider, West Ham United are set to rival newly-promoted Fulham in the race to sign Djibril Sidibe on a Bosman transfer this summer. The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner is available on a free transfer after his contract with AS Monaco expired earlier this month.
Formerly of Troyes and LOSC Lille, the 29-year-old right-back joined AS Monaco in 2016 and enjoyed a remarkable debut season with the club. Monaco not only won the Ligue 1 title for the first time in 17 years but also advanced to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2016/17.
Sidibe was an integral part of their success, earning a subsequent call-up to the French national squad. From that high point to now, where Sidibe’s time at Monaco has come to an end after five seasons at Stade Louis II, he scored six goals and provided 23 assists over his 174 appearances at the club.
Last season was a difficult one for the Frenchman, plagued by injury issues and a lack of game time. Sidibe made only 17 appearances this season, and in his absence, Monaco went on a nine-game winning streak to secure a third-place finish in Ligue 1. Unsatisfied by new contract terms on the table, he rejected a deal to stay at Monaco amid outside interest.
The 29-year-old is now on the lookout for a new club, and his representatives have been approached by several clubs, particularly those in the Premier League. The 29-year-old is keen on returning to the English top-flight despite his rather hit-and-miss loan spell at Everton in 2019/20, where he amassed four assists in 25 appearances for the Toffees.
Everton decided against exercising the buy option to convert his loan stay into a permanent one back then. But a Premier League return looks to be on the cards this summer, with West Ham United and Fulham both lining up moves for the Frenchman.
The interest shown by West Ham in signing Sidibe is not surprising, even though they already have two right-backs in their squad – Vladimir Coufal and Ben Johnson. The latter had a good 2021/22 season, but the former showed a slump in form after returning from injury.
Sidibe is a versatile full-back who can cover for both flanks and possesses the energy and dribbling skills to bomb up and down the flank, meaning he could prove to be an excellent option for David Moyes. At 29, he still has a few good years left in him. As for the interest from Fulham, Marco Silva wants Sidibe at his disposal at Craven Cottage this summer.
The Cottagers are desperate to add defensive reinforcements, particularly a new right-back after failing to land Liverpool’s Neco Williams on a permanent deal following a successful loan stint last term. Sidibe fits the profile, and has previously played for Everton, demonstrating his top-level experience and Premier League know how that could be crucial to Fulham’s survival next term.
