Towards the end of the transfer window, Brighton & Hove Albion made a late attempt to sign Boulaye Dia from Stade de Reims on loan.
The deal never materialised into anything since the Ligue 1 side weren’t interested in losing one of their star players without getting any money for it, so he stayed, and boy has he excelled!
Currently leading the Ligue 1 scoring charts with eight goals in eight games, the 24-year-old has scored every 76 minutes, a tally few have reproduced.
Still, this form isn’t going to help Reims keep hold of their star, and there are strong expectations Dia could leave in January, giving Brighton another chance at getting their man as long as they are willing to put money on the table.
This is what Jean-Pierre Caillot, the French side’s president, told L’Union in an interview.
He said: “That Boulaye didn’t leave cannot be considered a failure. We spoke about it again recently with his agent. He didn’t leave because he didn’t have the project he wanted and us the desired offer. Boulaye turned down two offers: Lokomotiv Moscow and Hellas Verona.
“For different reasons, he didn’t want to go to those clubs. We never forced him, which explains his current happiness. Will he leave during the winter break? I don’t know. If he stays, I’ll be delighted. If he has an offer that suits both him and us, I can’t oppose it because I gave my word”.
That means Brighton simply need to match Reims’ demands for the player, which will likely be somewhere between €12-15m if Téléfoot La Chaîne are to be believed, to get their man.
