Leeds and Everton target Omar Colley has enlisted the help of a new agent to secure him a Premier League move, reports from Italy suggest.
Sampdoria centre-back Colley, 29, has been eyed up by the Whites for the best part of a year. The Toffees recently joined them in the hunt along with Newcastle, as TEAMtalk exclusively revealed last month.
The significant admiration from England clearly hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Gambia international, who has just linked up with his country for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Indeed, Colley is keen to leave Serie A for a new beginning in the Prem. That’s according to Club Doria 46, who ran a report detailing his change of agents.
After ditching his association with Cheikh Fall, he has switched representation to Fali Ramadani of the LIAN Sports Group.
Their other clients include Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sane, Juventus’ Federico Chiesa and Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly.
Colley is said to have made his intentions clear. And it is claimed the move could happen this month.
As well as the aforementioned trio of Prem sides, Watford are also named as an interested party.
Their boss Claudio Ranieri knows Colley well, having been manager of Sampdoria in his previous job from 2019-2021. The Italian is looking for reliable players for the Hornets’ relegation battle.
However, Colley would have to would to undergo an isolation period after AFCON and could be unavailable for several weeks.
And his Italian owners are hopeful he will stay until the end of the season. He is a regular starter for them.
It was previously understood that they would be open to doing business, with a price tag of £8m touted.
Sampdoria signed him from Belgian side Genk in 2018 for around £7m. Before that Colley spent time in Finland and Sweden after leaving his home country.
Leeds learn striker fee
Meanwhile, Blackburn Rovers want more than £30million before they would even consider selling star striker Ben Brereton Diaz, TEAMtalk understands.
The 22-year-old has bagged 20 league goals and is enjoying the best season of his career. That mark puts him behind only Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrović (22) in the race for the Championship golden boot.
Rovers insist that they do not want to lose Brereton Diaz – who has six-months left on his current deal, although the club also have an option to take on him for an additional season.
TEAMtalk understands that numerous clubs have contacted Rovers, including Leeds. However, they have been quick to rebuff any and all interest.
