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Chelsea and Liverpool are set to battle to sign a Premier League star who has continued to thrive after a big money transfer this summer.
Both Liverpool and Chelsea are having similar campaigns after changing managers in the summer and they are separated by just one position and a single point in the table.
Consequently, they appear to be aiming for similar targets also, with Senegalese outlet DN Sports claiming that both teams have contacted the agent of El Hadji Malick Diouf to register their interest in the Brentford star.
Diouf joined Brentford in the summer for €40 million from West Ham, where he had been a rare bright spark in his debut campaign in English football despite their relegation from the Premier League.
Brentford opted to sign Diouf, although the 21-year-old has largely featured off the bench for Keith Andrews’ side, starting just once and only playing 155 minutes of Premier League football so far.
In spite of his lack of game time, it is stated that Diouf is already attracting interest from top clubs, with Chelsea and Liverpool said to be closely monitoring the situation.
El Hadji Malick Diouf: Chelsea and Liverpool monitoring Brentford wonderkid
Diouf is primarily a left-wing back known for his ability on the ball and going forward, as well as his athleticism, which led to him joining West Ham in 2025 for €22m.
The youngster impressed for the Hammers and posted five assists in 32 games, however the defensive side of his game proved raw and he couldn’t prevent them from being relegated.
Plenty of teams saw the potential in Diouf despite the relegation and Brentford made Diouf their third-largest signing ever in the summer, although they have yet to fully integrate him as a starter.
Diouf’s raw attributes have made him a target for major sides and data analytics firm believe Liverpool would be his best fit of any club in world football, with a rating of 78 out of 100, compared to 72 for Chelsea.
Liverpool currently have Milos Kerkez as their starting left-back, however the Hungarian had a difficult first season at Anfield, while backup Kostas Tsimikas is out of contract at the end of the season.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have youngster Jorrel Hato and summer signing Pep Chavarria as their left-backs and it appears unlikely that they would move either player on anytime soon, giving Diouf more chance of succeeding at Liverpool.
However, much will depend on how Diouf progresses over the season and the Senegalese international knows that a fruitful campaign could see him move for the third time in three years next summer to one of the Premier League’s elite sides.
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