Ligue 1 centre-back who is performing very well at the start of this season, is attracting two Premier League clubs.
RC Lens completed an intelligent summer transfer window with players who were immediately effective. This is notably the case with Florian Thauvin, Matthieu Udol, Mamadou Sangare, but also Samson Baidoo. Arriving from RB Salzburg for €8m (£6.8m), the Austrian centre-back has already established himself as an undisputed starter.
The 21-year-old player has thus participated in 14 of the Sang et Or's 15 Ligue 1 matches, including 13 as a starter, for two goals and one assist. He is no stranger to the northern club's excellent start to the season, who are currently top of Ligue 1. According to WhoScored, the Graz native is the Lens player who has the most successful tackles per 90 minutes (1.4) and the best passing accuracy (93.4 percent), whilst he occupies second place for the number of aerial duels won per 90 minutes (1.9).
Crystal Palace and West Ham target Samson Baidoo
Inevitably, his performances are not going unnoticed. According to TEAMtalk, Samson Baidoo is beginning to attract attention from English clubs. Crystal Palace and West Ham are notably interested in the Austrian under-21 captain. The British outlet describe the Lens defender as a revelation of this start to the season.
The Hammers' interest is completely logical as the English side have one of the Premier League's worst defences with 29 goals conceded in 15 matches. West Ham, who are 18th in the league, are therefore looking for defensive reinforcements for the second part of the season, in their survival objective.
Crystal Palace want to make him Marc Guehi's replacement
For their part, Crystal Palace are having an excellent start to the season and are currently fourth in the Premier League. The Eagles are looking to anticipate Marc Guehi's probable departure, who could leave at a reduced price this winter or free next summer. Samson Baidoo is therefore an option to replace him along with Ousmane Diomande and Odilon Kossounou.
It should be noted in this case that it would be surprising to see Lens let go of their summer recruit as early as this winter, whilst his contract expires in June 2030. The Sang et Or are also targeting the Ligue 1 title in this second part of the season, which should motivate the Austrian, who is still valued at €8m (£6.8m) by Transfermarkt, not to listen to offers this winter.
This article was originally published on Top Mercato.
