Salernitana striker Boulaye Dia has earned comparisons with Senegal team-mate Sadio Mane, who previously starred on Merseyside with Liverpool.
Everton are in desperate need of another new attacker, and time is running out to find one before they begin their Premier League campaign at home to Fulham in two-and-a-half weeks’ time.
Who are Everton’s current forwards?
The Toffees already have a hugely talented forward in Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but the England international’s fitness problems were once again a major issue last season as he was restricted to just 15 Premier League starts.
Neal Maupay, a £15m signing from Brighton & Hove Albion last summer, was tasked with filling in for Calvert-Lewin but ended the campaign with one goal and no assists in 27 league appearances.
Dwight McNeil offered some much-needed quality out wide during the run-in, which ultimately ended with the Toffees avoiding the drop, while Arnaut Danjuma has recently joined on loan from Villarreal to provide further competition to Demarai Gray.
It is clear to see why Sean Dyche is eager to bring in another forward, and with a move for Almeria’s El Bilal Toure now looking bleak, it may well be that Salernitana’s Boulaye Dia is the Merseyside outfit’s priority target.
According to reports from La Citta di Salerno this week, Everton are ready to offer €25m (£21m) and Maupay for the Senegal international in a player-plus-cash offer, which could be enough to tempt the Serie A side to cash in.
How many goals has Boulaye Dia scored?
Dia has played – and scored – in three of Europe’s top five leagues, having netted 24 times in Ligue 1 for Reims, five times for Villarreal in LaLiga and 16 times in 33 Serie A games for Salernitana last season.
It was during his time at Reims that Dia first caught the attention of many, with Senegal team-mate Sadio Mane stating two years ago that he had been “really impressed” by his compatriot and did not expect him to stay with the French club for long.
So that proved, and after a short spell in Spain, Dia is now doing his thing in Italy. The 26-year-old scored 16 goals in 33 Serie A games last season, seeing him ranked among the top 16% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues for non-penalty goals scored in 2022-23, as per FBref.
Dia also set up six goals, ranking him in the top 14% for assists, showing that he is more than just a goalscorer – something that could see him form a solid partnership with Calvert-Lewin, assuming the latter can stay fit.
Interestingly, the one area Dia lacks is where Calvert-Lewin thrives, meaning they could easily feed off each other. The Salernitana star was among the bottom 14% of forwards in terms of aerial duels won last term (0.71 per 90); Calvert-Lewin was in the top 8% (5.10 per 90).
Some may suggest Dia and Calvert-Lewin simply cannot be shoehorned into the same side, but it would be a similar dynamic that fierce rivals Liverpool used so well for many years with Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Mane in attack.
Indeed, Dia is very alike Mane in a number of areas, not least their ability to score regularly. For example, Mane bagged 16 goals in 34 league games in his final season with Liverpool – the same number that his compatriot scored in one game less for Salernitana last time out.
As Dean Jones told GIVEMESPORT last year, Dia is a “handful” for defenders and a forward with “real goal potential”, which has earned him strong comparisons with Mane.
Having shown he can score in France, Spain and Italy, Dia may now be given the chance to follow further in Mane’s steps by doing so in the Premier League.
