Bristol City have reportedly had a bid of £2.5 million for Auxerre winger Lassine Sinayoko rejected as they look to bolster their squad for the Championship season ahead, according to L’Equipe.
Sinayoko was an integral part of AJA’s Ligue 2 title winning campaign in 2023/24, as the 1996 French campions returned to the top flight at the first time of asking. The Mali international scored eight goals and laid on four assists in 25 starts for Christophe Pelissier’s side.
The 24-year-old is a product of the Auxerre academy which has also produced mercurial talents such as Manchester united legend Eric Cantona and former Liverpool forward Djibril Cissé.
Bristol City have certainly taken note of his talent and it is claimed they have had a bid of around £2.5 million turned down by the Ligue 1 club. The proposed deal is said to have included a sell-on percentage for Auxerre, but even that could not sway their decision.
Despite his importance to his team, interest from across Europe has been reported already this summer for Sinayoko, and with just one year remaining on his deal in France, AJA may look to envoke a bidding war that could see the eventual fee far exceed that proposed by the Robins.
Liam Manning’s side will be looking to improve on their encouraging 11th placed finish in last season’s Championship and add some quality that they perhaps lacked in forward areas to take them closer to the top six.
Tommy Conway, with 10 goals, was the only City player to hit double figures in the previous campaign and a reliance on him limited their ability to compete with the big boys in a division that was competitive as ever.
Sinayoko at the young age of 24 has already proven his winning mentality and importance to Auxerre. The eventual Ligue 2 champions failed to win three of their four games while the winger was away at the Africa Cup of Nations, a competition their star man scored three times in for Mali.
Writer’s View:
Bristol City are in need of a much more clinical forward line if they are to progress towards their goal of the Championship play-offs in 2024/25. With the loss of Scott Twine as he returns to parent club Burnley, there is a gap in the front three of the 3-4-3 system that Liam Manning likes to deploy.
The Ashton Gate faithful will be hopeful the exciting African decides to head to the South West of England this summer. However, with a sizeable bid already turned down, other options in Europe may be a more appealing move for Sinayoko, who may feel he has now earned the right to have a crack at top flight football.
