Everton have now made an approach to sign Como winger Assane Diao as an alternative to Manchester City’s Jack Grealish.
Grealish spent the 2025-26 campaign on loan at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, and the 30-year-old put in some impressive performances, picking up two goals and six assists in 20 Premier League matches.
Toffees CEO Angus Kinnear has confirmed talks have been held to bring the winger back to Merseyside, saying: “Jack is a player we’ve remained in contact with. It was no secret that he decided to have his rehabilitation done here for the remainder of last season when he didn’t have to do that.
“He’s a player who’s fallen in love with the right shade of blue but ultimately he’s a Manchester City player at the moment and we need to respect that. The most important thing is he’s back. He had a very serious injury, he’s worked really hard to get back from that.”
However, with David Moyes‘ side seemingly no closer to getting a deal over the line, they have started looking at other options, including Diao, who could be an exciting alternative.
The Como winger is capable of playing on both wings, and he has regularly been on the scoresheet since signing for the Italian side in the summer of 2024, picking up ten goals and two assists in 35 matches.
Como scout Ben Mattinson is a big fan of the 20-year-old too, describing him as explosive, adding: “Two-footed, pacey runner, pnp, instincts, composed finishing and good ball-striking foundations. What’s not to love?”
During his time in Spain, the forward became Real Betis’ youngest-ever goalscorer, and he amassed six goals and three assists in 47 matches for the La Liga side.
However, one glaring concern is the Senegalese youngster’s injury record, having suffered a number of set-backs last season.
|
Assane Diao’s injury record |
From – Until |
Matches missed (club and country) |
|
Unknown injury |
06/03/26 – 09/03/26 |
1 |
|
Hamstring injury |
16/12/25 – 24/02/26 |
20 |
|
Hamstring injury |
15/11/25 – 05/12/25 |
4 |
|
Foot injury |
22/08/25 – 17/10/25 |
14 |
Everton make approach to sign Assane Diao
Diao’s injury record seemingly hasn’t deterred Everton though, with a report from TEAMtalk revealing they have made contact to sign the winger, who is keen on a move to the Premier League.
His current employers are open to a sale too, although they are expected to hold out for a big fee, with the Italian side planning to listen to offers in the region of £50m – £60m.
However, unless the Toffees sell Iliman Ndiaye, signing both Diao and Grealish could be difficult this summer, so they must decide whether they want to take a punt on an up-and-coming youngster, or bring in a proven Premier League winger.
