Salernitana striker Boulaye Dia has not returned to the club after being diagnosed with an injury to his quadricep while away on international duty with Senegal, instead opting to return to France for personal reasons.
The 26-year-old, who scored 16 league goals in 33 appearances last season, was released from the Senegal squad with an injury to the rectus femoris muscle in his quad, risking a spell of several weeks on the sidelines.
It was expected that Dia would return to Salerno to undergo further assessments and treatment, but instead, the player went directly to his home in France without consent from the club.
According to Il Corriere dello Sport, it is likely that Dia will return to Italy on Wednesday night and will almost certainly be fined by the club on his arrival.
It has been a turbulent start to the 2023-24 season for the former Villarreal striker, who had been subject of late interest from Premier League side Wolves in the latter stages of the summer transfer window.
Despite netting his first goal of the campaign in Salernitana’s 1-1 draw with Udinese in August, Dia was left out of the squad for the following game against Lecce as a result of the transfer speculation.
Salernitana frontman Boulaye Dia was seemingly unsatisfied with the way the summer transfer window panned out, as he was eager to make a change. After registering a goal in his first two Serie A appearances this season, he left Campania for international duty with Senegal a fortnight ago.
But unlike other internationals, Dia was nowhere to be seen at the gathering in the build-up to Salernitana’s home clash against Torino. His absence has opened the door to a series of speculation over his future in Salerno. However, the 26-year-old has returned to the Stadio Arechi and will soon reunite with Paulo Sousa’s squad, as per Tuttomercatoweb.
Dia enjoyed a stellar maiden season in Serie A after joining Salernitana on loan from Villarreal in the summer of 2022. He tallied 16 goals in 33 league outings in the previous campaign, with only Victor Osimhen and Lautaro Martinez bettering his scoring record. Then, it came as no surprise Sousa’s side triggered a buyout clause in his deal a few months ago.
While Dia has never officially asked to leave Salernitana, his future was among the main talking points in Italy during the transfer window just finished. Numerous sides from Italy and abroad displayed interest in his services, but a move failed to materialize, forcing the Senegalese forward to stay put.
It’s uncertain whether he’ll be in the squad on Monday when Salernitana host Torino at Arechi. Dia’s return would be massive as Sousa’s men seek their first league win of the season.
