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Gloucester eye France back row Ibrahim Diallo
By Neil Fissler
Gloucester, who finished ninth in the Premiership last season, are one of the clubs that have registered an interest in signing Racing 92 back-row Ibrahim Diallo if the Parisian giants don’t tie him down to a long-term contract.
Blindside flanker Diallo, 26, also plays on the openside of the back row. He is out of contract at La Defense Arena next summer and is already attracting interest from Top 14 rivals. His name has been sent around the Premiership.
RugbyPass sources in France say that a move to Gloucester is unlikely because the Cherry and Whites would be forced into paying so much over the odds to make a switch attractive, making a deal too costly to pull off.
It’s not impossible to imagine, however, especially if Gloucester free up funds by offloading back- rows Zach Mercer, who has interest from France after failing to break into the England squad under Steve Borthwick; and Ruan Ackermann.
Toulon will provide competition for Gloucester, while Toulouse are also said to be monitoring developments in the French capital, where talks between Diallo and Racing bosses are already underway.
Gloucester are unlikely to have to wait long to find out if a deal is possible, as all the big-name French clubs look to complete the bulk of their transfer business between now and Christmas when the market tends to slow down.
Diallo, who started his career at AAS Sarcelles, moved to Racing in 2015 and has made 115 appearances, scoring nine tries since breaking into the side, coming off the bench to make his debut against Bordeaux in December 2018.
This summer, he returned to Fabien Galthie’s squad for the first time since playing against Japan in July 2022 for the second test against Argentina and then the one-off game against Uruguay.
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Latest Comments
Hopefully Joe stays where he is. That would mean Les, McKellar, larkham and Cron should as well. It’s the stability we need in the state programs. But, if Joe goes, RA with its current financial situation will be forced into promoting from within. And this will likely destabilise other areas.
To better understand some of the entrenched bitterness of those outside of NZ and NSW (as an example 😂), Nic, there is probably a comparison to the old hard heads of welsh rugby who are still stuck in the 1970s. Before the days where clubs merged, professionalism started, and the many sharp knives were put into the backs of those who loved the game more than everyone else. I’m sure you know a few... But given your comparison of rugby in both wales and Australia, there are a few north of the tweed that will never trust a kiwi or NSWelshman because of historical events and issues over the history of the game. It is what it is. For some, time does not heal all wounds. And it is still festering away in some people. Happy holidays to you. All the best in 2025.
Go to commentsNot surprised to see Barretts rating. He has always been a solid defender for the ABs but not particularly effective in attack situations.
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