Mo Diame has received an offer from Qatar side Al-Gharafa according to the Sun.
The Senegalese midfielder seems all set to leave at the end of the month, with the club’s official retained list seeming to confirm that he will NOT be offered a new deal by the club.
Interestingly, the Chronicle also mention a ‘lucrative’ offer from Qatar, but Lee Ryder states that Diame could yet hold talks over an extension “depending on who is in the dugout next season”.
Does this suggest he could stay should a new manager arrive who would offer him first-team football? Realistically though, it looks like he’s off, and imagine he’ll have plenty offers as a free agent.
The likes of Leeds, Brighton and Crystal Palace had been tentatively linked with a move for the 31-year-old, but it’s been claimed by the Sun today that Qatari-based side Al-Gharafa have made him an offer.
It would not surprise me if he did move to China or the Middle-East to get one last pay day – he turns 32 next week – however I do believe that he’s still capable of doing a job in one of Europe’s top leagues.
It looked like a one-year contract extension may have been activated earlier this year, but he failed to start enough games to trigger that clause. Not only that, it was reported that he preferred a two-year deal, so it seems he will part this summer unless the situation changes considerably.
I personally would’ve been open to the idea of keeping him around for another season, especially when Isaac Hayden looks set to leave for family reasons – a move that would leave us with a total lack of defensive midfielders.
Either way, we wish Mo all the best in his future ventures if he is to move on this summer.
He’s struggled at times and took time to find form, but he’s a good character and someone who played a huge part in our surge to safety in 2018.
