Football
Exclusive: AFCON Golden Boot Winner Brahim Díaz Targeted by Brentford and Crystal Palace
Morocco's Brahim Diaz, the AFCON Golden Boot winner, is being pursued by Brentford and Crystal Palace. Despite missing a crucial penalty in the final, the clubs are impressed and looking to bolster their squads before the transfer window closes. Diaz's potential move to England could be a lucrative opportunity for all parties involved.
TOPSHOT-FBL-AFR-2025-MATCH 39-MAR-TZA by SEBASTIEN BOZON | Getty Images
Morocco forward Brahim Diaz has attracted the interest of both Brentford and Crystal Palace after his impressive AFCON goalscoring exploits, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
The tournament’s Golden Boot winner missed an audacious ill-fated “Panenka” penalty attempt in the 114th minute of yesterday’s extraordinary final which Senegal won 1-0 after extra-time.
And the distraught Real Madrid winger was then hauled off by his manager Walid Regragui for his costly mishap.
But that disappointment aside, our sources have learnt that both the Bees and Eagles have been impressed with his displays during this year’s tournament.
Brentford are looking to strengthen their attacking line following the high-profile departures of Bryan Mbeumo to Manchester United and Yoane Wissa to Newcastle United.
The Bees are also eyeing Sheffield United midfielder Sydie Peck, with the youngster’s form and London roots making him an appealing January target.
And the Eagles are currently in turmoil after manager Oliver Glasner slammed the club’s board for “abandoning” the team following the marquee exits of star players Eberechi Eze to league leaders Arsenal and centre-back Mark Guehi to fellow title-chasers Manchester City respectively.
WELCOME BUSINESS
Both clubs are understood to be hungry to do welcome business before the latest transfer window shuts on 2nd February.
Diaz joined City as a 16-year-old for just £200,000 in September 2016, before signing for Real in a £15.5million deal in June 2019.
The 26-year-old has since gone on to play 89 games for the club, but he spent three seasons from 2020-2023 on loan with AC Milan, gaining valuable experience in Serie A.
The 22-cap international is tipped for a bright future but, despite some starring performances, has yet to establish himself as one of Real’s best players.
But his five goals in five games at AFCON has alerted a number of top clubs to his talents, with the Bees and Eagles having expressed early interest in trying to see if a deal can be done to bring Diaz to the Premier League.
Both clubs have money to spend in the window and hope Diaz, who is under contract until 2027, could be tempted by a move to England.
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.