Bamba Dieng could become Nice’s joker signing

According to Fabrice Hawkins OGC Nice want to lower Marseille’s asking price for striker Bamba Dieng, with a move still potentially on for the player as a ‘wildcard’ signing for Les Aiglons. Marsielle are convinced that the problem which caused the failure of Dieng’s deadline day medical is benign – and are reportedly very annoyed by the situation.

Ligue 1 transfer rules dictate that one player can still be signed from a French team outside the transfer window – referred to as the ‘joker’ or ‘wildcard’ – which means that a Nice deal for Bamba Dieng could still be in the offing. 

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La Provence journalist Alexandre Jacquin also reports that Bamba Dieng will undergo a second medical today in order to be signed as Nice’s ‘joker’. The player had reportedly taken a blow to the knee a few months ago and had recovered poorly from it, however there is optimism that the signing could be completed today.

Nice-Matin are reported late on yesterday that Marseille forward failed his medical at OGGC Nice. It is a dramatic twist in a day that saw the Senegalese forward coveted by the Riviera club and Premier League side Leeds United. 

According to Nice-Matin, Dieng “didn’t give satisfaction to the club’s management during his medical visit” and will therefore not sign for Lucien Favre’s side. 

Earlier in the day, Dieng had looked set for a move to England. Leeds United looked to have won the race for the forward, beating Ligue 1 side Lorient at the time with a €10m bid. However, Nice then outbid Leeds with a €12m offer, which also included a higher sell-on percentage. 

From a position where Dieng was set to fly to the UK to complete the deal, the pendulum swung towards Nice. Dieng then quickly agreed personal terms with Les Aiglons, before making the trip down the coast to Mediterranean rivals Nice. 

However, the deal now looks to have collapsed at the final hurdle, with the failure of his medical ending his hopes of joining Favre’s side. It is not clear yet whether there are any other clubs willing to make a move for Dieng, but one thing is for sure – he will not be joining another French club as the transfer window has already shut. 

Dieng is out of favour at Marseille, and new manager Igor Tudor was keen to sell.