RC Lens are wasting no time with their business this summer. The Artois side have announced their fourth signing of the transfer window – after Stijn Spierings, Neil El Aynaoui and Morgan Guilavogui – with the arrival of Basel midfielder Andy Diouf (20). The Swiss side recently announced they would make the Stade Rennais youth product’s loan permanent – but Diouf’s breakout season has caught the eye of RC Lens. With an estimated €15m transfer fee, the France U21 international is the club’s biggest-ever outlay.
🚐 𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗖𝗔𝑻𝒐𝒖𝒓2023, 𝑒́𝑝𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑑𝑒4⃣
✍️ Andy Diouf
📍 Place des Héros de la @VilleArras
📅 30/06/2023👉 https://t.co/o0GIo3WWBN#MercaTour2023 #FierDEtreLensois pic.twitter.com/CvIaXSpIXg
— Racing Club de Lens (@RCLens) June 30, 2023
On the back of an extraordinary second-place finish in Ligue 1, and finishing one point short of league champions PSG, RC Lens needed a statement signing to strengthen their midfield as Les Sang et Or have qualified for next season’s Champions League group stage. Diouf was recently named the UEFA Conference League’s best young player for this past season. Basel’s run in the tournament ended in the semi-finals at the hands of Fiorentina.
Lens are also in the running to sign highly-rated Strasbourg midfielder Habib Diarra (19). However, Les Sang et Or are expected to part ways with club captain Seko Fofana (28). The Ivory Coast international, arguably one of Ligue 1’s best midfielders, is in talks to join PIF-funded Saudi outfit Al-Nassr.
GFFN | Bastien Cheval
