Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly watched 21-year-old RC Lens midfielder Andy Diouf this week.
According to a report by Graeme Bailey on HITC, Andy Diouf is gaining popularity in the market heading into the final week of the summer transfer window. Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur dispatched scouts to watch the 21-year-old in action for RC Lens against Panathinaikos in the UEFA Europa Conference League playoffs earlier this week.
Who is Andy Diouf?
Andy Diouf has made considerable progress since joining RC Lens from FC Basel last summer. A native of Neuilly-sur-Seine, the Frenchman spent his formative years in his homeland, passing through the academies at AF Garenne-Colombes, Paris Saint-Germain, AC Boulogne-Billancourt, and Stade Rennais before graduating from the latter’s youth division.
However, the 21-year-old needed a short spell at FC Basel to find a stable footing before RC Lens came calling. Diouf has turned out 32 times thus far for the Ligue 1 outfit while chipping in with one goal. Meanwhile, he was part of France’s squad at the 2024 Paris Olympics as the country won the silver medal after losing to Spain in the final. The youngster’s progress has not gone unnoticed, alerting Premier League bigwigs like Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Tottenham.
A man in demand
Aston Villa might not need another midfield reinforcement in the summer transfer window after signing Ross Barkley and Amadou Onana. Nevertheless, they are closely monitoring the French midfielder’s progress at RC Lens and sent scouts to watch him against Panathinaikos in the UEFA Europa Conference League playoffs.
Meanwhile, Manchester City’s interest in Andy Diouf is understandable. The Premier League champions have a stacked midfield unit, especially after Ilkay Gundogan returned from Barcelona. However, Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne, and Bernardo Silva are on the wrong side of 30. So, Diouf can be a long-term midfield solution for Manchester City.
As for Tottenham, they are yet to sign a replacement for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who has joined Marseille on a season-long loan deal. The North London giants have shown interest in many midfielders, including Hayden Hackney, with Diouf also a viable target.
Like Aston Villa, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur dispatched scouts to monitor the 21-year-old French midfielder’s performance against Panathinaikos. It will be interesting to see if any of the three Premier League clubs launch the offensive to secure Andy Diouf’s services before the summer transfer window shuts down.
