Hartlepool United striker believed to be a "top priority" for National League rivals

As first revealed by BBC Tees Sport presenter Rob Law, the Greater Manchester side are believed to be working hard on a deal for the 30-year-old, who has scored 43 goals in 88 games for Pools. Dale are in the market for a new talisman following the departures of Kairo Mitchell, who was released despite scoring 16 goals in 47 games last term, and Sam Bird, who found the net seven times in nine matches during an impressive loan spell.

Dieseruvwe is one of a number of high profile players who could be set to leave Victoria Park in the next few weeks. It's been a chaotic and controversial period at Pools, with the club seemingly lurching from crisis to crisis in the wake of Raj Singh's sudden and unexpected resignation in March and his subsequent return last month. It's unclear whether or not the appointment of Simon Grayson, who replaced head coach Anthony Limbrick on Thursday, will be enough to tempt the likes of Dieseruvwe, Joe Grey and Nathan Sheron to consider penning a new deal in the North East.

If there's one thing working in Pools' favour, it's that Dieseruvwe has repeatedly revealed his passion for the club and its supporters. Since signing for Pools from Halifax in the summer of 2023, Dieseruvwe has gone from strength to strength, bagging a brace on his debut, breaking the 20 goal milestone in his debut campaign, earning an England C call up and scoring a superb hat-trick off the bench in last season's memorable win over Sutton. Yet that will only count for so much; Dieseruvwe, as he prepares to approach the twilight of his career, revealed at the end of last season that he wants the club's ambition to match his own.

At a glance, it would seem as though Rochdale are well-placed to help him achieve his dream of a return to the Football League. Jimmy McNulty's side, who hammered Pools 5-1 on the penultimate weekend last term, finished fourth but narrowly missed out on a place at Wembley after forfeiting a two goal lead to lose 4-3 in a remarkable play-off semi-final against Southend last month. The Greater Manchester side have already been busy this summer, signing energetic wing-back Bryce Hosannah from Fylde as well as the versatile Dan Moss from Woking. Now, Dale are believed to be leading the race for Dieseruvwe, although a number of other National League sides are also rumoured to be interested in securing his signature.

Your next Hartlepool United read: Pools defender set for National League North switch