Valencia consider January exit for Aliou Dieng

Valencia CF are prepared to consider offers for Aliou Dieng in the January transfer window, only three months after the Mali midfielder joined the club from Al Ahly.

Dieng arrived at Mestalla on 7 July as a free agent and signed a two-year contract with the Spanish side. He had been expected to compete for a regular role in Valencia’s midfield, but the club no longer regards him as untouchable and could facilitate his departure to create space in the squad.

The 28-year-old’s arrival had previously been reported as an exclusive by Africafoot, following the end of his spell with Al Ahly. However, his position at Valencia has become uncertain just weeks into the season.

According to Fichajes, Valencia would be willing to study a proposal for Dieng from January. The club’s intention would be to rebalance the squad and potentially make room for further reinforcements.

Dieng has not been completely overlooked by Carlos Corberan. He has appeared in all five of Valencia’s La Liga matches under the manager, playing 227 minutes in total and starting two of those games.

His opportunities have, however, been helped by a number of injuries within the Valencia squad. That context may reduce the significance of his appearances and could be one reason why the club remains uncertain about his long-term place in the team.

There may still be an opportunity for Dieng to change the situation. Javier Aguirre is set to take charge of the side but has not yet worked with the Mali international.

Aguirre is expected to assess Dieng in training before making a final decision on his future. The evaluation period could give the midfielder one last chance to convince his new manager that he deserves a place in the rotation.

Valencia have not closed the door on a January departure. Fichajes reports that the club would still examine any offer that suited its interests, despite Dieng’s recent arrival and the length of his contract.

The midfielder could therefore see his time at Mestalla end far earlier than expected. The coming weeks are likely to be important as he attempts to impress Aguirre before Valencia decide whether to retain him or allow him to leave.

Valencia’s next fixture will be against Racing Santander in the seventh round of the Spanish championship. The listed odds for the match are 3.15 for a Valencia win, 3.60 for a draw and 2.25 for a Racing Santander victory, according to 1xbet.