The £12.5m bargain wonderkid signing that could take Crystal Palace or Everton to the next level

Everton’s ageing midfield is in need of a refresh this summer, while Crystal Palace are bracing for bids for rising superstar Adam Wharton. In short, both clubs are in the market for new blood in the centre of the park this season – and new reports suggest that they might have found their man.

A story from Sport Witness, which draws from the French media, suggests that both sides are making eye at RC Lens’ 21-year-old midfielder Andy Diouf – who would likely cost at least €15m (£12.5m) to sign. But would the talented young Frenchman make sense for either side, and where will he end up?

Why Crystal Palace might want Andy Diouf

Of the two sides mentioned, the link with Palace seems the stronger. They’re said to be “very hot” on Diouf and have come up in multiple reports, while the Everton connection seems to be single-sourced. That doesn’t mean that Palace will definitely sign the youngster, by any means, but they’re perhaps the more likely of the pair to make a bid.

The risk of losing Wharton may explain their interest in other gifted midfielders. Wharton has attracted big-money interest from several sides since breaking into the England team in 2024 and his departure would leave Palace’s midfield looking a little thin – but while Diouf can match Wharton for energy in the middle of the park, he’s a very different type of player.

Where Wharton gets the ball forward using his passing skills, Diouf is a ball carrier who looks to break the lines with the ball at his feet. He’s a fantastic dribbler whose ability to beat his man on the run is already first rate. He can’t hold a candle to Wharton’s razor-sharp passing range, but on average he has generated 3.19 shooting chances per game for his team-mates this season – only marginally less than the 3.53 managed by Wharton.

In other words, they have different approaches but are both direct in possession and create a similar volume of opportunities for those around them. Should Wharton end up staying, in fact, the two may well complement each other well, especially as Diouf is comfortable darting forward to the edge of the area and looking to play quick passes or beat a man to create space. He could be a handy player to have to get on the end of Wharton’s passes.

The biggest gulf in quality – as it stands – is in their defensive work. Diouf is no slouch and his hard work off the ball makes him an effective part of a pressing unit, but Wharton averages an extra turnover per game, makes more tackles and gets involved in far more one-on-ones out of possession. Where Wharton can be relied upon to win the ball back in sticky situations, Diouf is still developing that part of his game.

Still, his style would suit Oliver Glasner’s relatively direct and aggressive playing style and his unquestionable skill with the ball at his feet would be welcome. It’s not hard to see Diouf’s appeal.

Will Everton make a move this summer?

The link to Everton appears to come from a single article from Jeunesse Foot so far, which doesn’t discredit it but does mean that there isn’t enough smoke for us to infer a fire just yet. There’s no doubt that Everton need some fresh blood in midfield, though. Abdoulaye Doucouré and Idrissa Gueye are both out of contract at the end of the season and their remaining central players will be seriously stretched without replacements.

Signing Diouf would certainly signal a sea change, given that he’s a ball-carrier first and a ball-winner second, but at 6’2” and powerfully-built, he would offer a more youthful replacement for the physicality and directness of Doucouré, even if he isn’t an occasional goal threat in the way that the Mali international has been, at least at this stage of his career.

While Diouf’s movement and dynamism means he can get into dangerous areas, he’s not a true number ten and has only got a little over 10% of his shots on target in Ligue 1 this season, and has just five career goals in over 120 appearances for Lens, previous clubs Rennes and Basel, and the French age group and Olympic teams. In short, if Everton are interest, it’s likely to play in David Moyes’ more defensive midfield pairing, and in that sense makes sense only if played alongside a stronger defender. If he was trusted with a more progressive, pressing role next to a midfielder who sits in the hole and holds his position, he could be a very useful signing.

£12.5m doesn’t seem like an unreasonable base price for a player who is on the long-term radar of his national team already and whose performances, over the first half of the 2024/25 season in particular, have been impressive. Diouf still needs to add some nous to the defensive side of his game and could offer more cutting edge in the final third, but his ability to get the ball downfield quickly and directly is beyond doubt. Will Everton or Palace take the plunge? We’ll find out in the summer.