Lincoln City’s reported interest in Ivory Coast international Oumar Diakité has not been dismissed, although there is currently no suggestion that a deal is close to completion, according to BBC Radio Lincolnshire’s Rob Makepeace.
The Imps were linked with the Stade de Reims forward earlier today, with a report claiming the Championship newcomers could pay around €3 million, approximately £2.6 million, to bring him to Sincil Bank. Makepeace, who is in Spain covering City’s pre-season training camp, has now offered an update on the speculation.
He stressed that Lincoln are unlikely to comment publicly while any transfer discussions are taking place, but stopped short of ruling out the possibility of Diakité becoming a target.
“I’m not going to completely shoot it down,” he said. “From what I understand, the club aren’t saying much about it, as you would expect. They never do during transfer negotiations.
“We’ve got to know them very well over the years. They don’t tend to say anything until it’s signed, sealed and delivered.”
The initial report claimed the Imps were close to completing a deal for the 22-year-old. However, Makepeace said he had not heard anything to suggest an agreement was currently at an advanced stage. However, what appears more significant is the profile of players City are looking to recruit following promotion to the Championship.
“Even if it isn’t Diakité, he is the type of player they are looking at,” he added. “They want marquee players who are going to make a real difference to Lincoln City’s starting XI. That is the calibre of player Lincoln City are looking at.
“Whether it is Diakité who comes in or somebody else, that is the level they are targeting.”
Diakité would certainly fit that description. The forward came through the academy at ASEC Mimosas before moving to Red Bull Salzburg in 2022, while he later scored 12 league goals during a spell with Austrian second-tier side Liefering.
He joined Reims in 2023 and has since made 54 Ligue 1 appearances, scoring nine times. Diakité spent last season on loan at Cercle Brugge, where he returned seven goals from 25 Belgian Pro League appearances.
The striker is also an established Ivory Coast international and was part of the squad which won the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil in 2024. He has since represented his country at the 2026 World Cup, getting minutes against Curaçao and Norway.
A reported fee of £2.6 million would comfortably break our existing transfer record, but the club have already suggested they expect to set new records during their first Championship transfer window. In our exclusive Stacey West interview with Jez George earlier in the season, that was clearly stated, and it seems, despite missing out on two high-profile targets, that is still the case.
For now, the identity of any potential marquee addition remains unclear. There has been no confirmation from City or Reims that negotiations are taking place, while the original report has not yet been supported by multiple established sources.
However, even should the Diakité claim fail to develop, Makepeace believes the scale of the link offers an indication of City’s ambitions.
“At the moment, I’m not hearing that they are close to completing a deal for him,” he said. “But I am hearing that these are the types of players Lincoln City will increasingly be linked with and will want to sign.”
It would be an incredible statement of intent if the Imps were to land a player who appeared in the World Cup, especially one costing significantly more than £1m.