OGC Nice line up Auxerre forward as Evann Guessand replacement

OGC Nice aren’t wasting any time in their search to replace Evann Guessand (24). The forward, born in Ajaccio, officially left for Aston Villa on Friday, committing to the Premier League club until 2030, in a deal worth an estimated €35m.

Le Gym have their eyes on a Malian international coming off a solid Ligue 1 campaign at AJ Auxerre as his potential replacement. Lassine Sinayoko (25) scored five times for the Burgundy club in 34 league appearances last season.

The 25-year-old has one year left on his current contract at AJA, the only club that he has ever known. Nice are desperate to add some attacking depth to their squad with Guessand following Gaëtan Laborde (31) out the door this summer, the latter joining Al-Diriyah in Saudi Arabia after scoring 11 goals in 28 Ligue 1 appearances for Le Gym last season.

Sinayoko has collected 22 caps internationally for Mali, while finding the back of the net six times. His contributions last season enabled Auxerre to finish a respectable 11th in the table, with 42 points.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre