Palace given green light to land “explosive” £15m machine, Vieira must act now - opinion

Crystal Palace have been handed the ideal chance to land Marseille forward Bamba Dieng, having previously been linked with the youngster in January.

According to journalist Ryan Taylor, the Ligue 1 club are attempting to “force” the 22-year-old out of the Stade Velodrome this summer, potentially opening the door for the Eagles to pounce.

Writing on Twitter about the Senegal international’s future, the transfer insider stated: “Marseille trying to force Senegal international Bamba Dieng out door following arrival of Igor Tudor. Told from player’s side – he won’t be going anywhere this summer. Freiburg move already rejected. PL of interest but no fresh developments after #NUFC & #CPFC talks in Jan.”

As Taylor mentioned, the south Londoners – along with fellow Premier League side Newcastle United – were linked with the nine-cap marksman during the winter, with the Magpies said to have been eyeing up a deal worth in the region of £15m.

Although the highly-rated talent seems intent on staying put this summer, the news that his current club are keen to push him out should give Palace manager Patrick Vieira the impetus to make an approach for the 5 foot 10 menace.

The 46-year-old already has a connection with Dieng as the £9m-rated striker is a product of the FC Diambars setup in Senegal, with the club’s academy having been co-founded by Vieira back in 2003.

Not just a potentially familiar name to the Arsenal legend, the “explosive” prospect – as he has been described by his former Marseille boss Jorge Sampaoli – has also warranted a move due to his impressive form of late in France.

The eye-catching starlet scored seven goals and provided one assist in 25 league appearances last term – only 11 of which came from the start –