Thu. Nov 21st, 2024
lamine diack
Nantes' newly recruited Senegalese midfielder Lamine Diack addresses a press conference at Nantes Football Club headquarter in La Chapelle-sur-Erdre, in the northern suburbs of Nantes, western France on August 4, 2023. (Photo by Damien Meyer / AFP) (Photo by DAMIEN MEYER/AFP via Getty Images)

Update: Colorado Rapids officially announced Diack on Thursday. The details were in line with Burgundy Wave’s reporting.

COMMERCE CITY – Colorado Rapids are close to finalizing a Lamine Diack loan deal, sources tell Burgundy Wave, pending the ITC, P1 Visa, and a medical. The deal is believed to be a six month loan with an option to buy for the Senegalese midfielder.

At time of first publishing, Burgundy Wave is unable to confirm or refute the $2.7 million valuation that French outlet L’Équipe has reported. Burgundy Wave speculates that the Rapids and FC Nantes may still be sorting those details with Nantes reportedly purchasing him from Turkish club MKE Ankaragücü earlier this month, per Tom Boggart of The Athletic.

Diack is believed to be the final big piece of the offseason rebuild, along with Zack Steffen, Djordje Mihailović, Sam Vines, and others. His closing speed at 6’1″ is impressive. He should come in and compete with Jasper Löffelsend to be the ball winner next to Connor Ronan. He will also be surrounded by players who are settled at the club, which should flatten the David Gass Theorem learning curve.

Diack would bring the current official roster to 30, making Colorado potentially unable to sign new players. A few departures could be in the works however.

At 23-years-old, he will not be the club’s third U22 player. He will take up an International Slot. Depending on the price to make him permanent in the summer, he could become a TAM player for the second half of the year.

As Rapids fans saw last summer with Rafael Navarro coming from Brazil, the paperwork for a player coming to MLS for the first time may take a few weeks. If things move quickly, he should be able to join the team in Florida for the second half of preseason. The Rapids open the MLS season on February 24 at Portland Timbers. Worst case scenario, he should be stateside and available for selection by then.

Photo Credit: Damien Meyer/AFP via Getty Images.

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