Arsenal are interested in signing £67m defensive star, could make offer "in the coming days" - report
Arsenal have been fancied to make an approach for Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande this summer, according to Portuguese outlet A Bola (page 8).
The Gunners currently have William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães as their regular central defensive options when fit. Jakub Kiwior has been the immediate backup.
Aside from the trio, Arsenal also have Ben White, Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori and Takehiro Tomiyasu (injured), who can operate in the heart of the defence.
Despite this, the Gunners continue to be linked with central defenders. A Bola claim that the club do not lose sight of Diomande and could make a proposal to sign him ‘in the coming days’.
The Ivorian has a release clause worth £67 million in his contract, but Sporting are prepared to sell him for £51m. The Portuguese outfit informed the price during an enquiry from Crystal Palace.
Liverpool, Manchester United and Bayern Munich are also ‘very attentive’ to Diomande’s situation.
Diomande to Arsenal speculation could be agent-driven
The Gunners have been long-term admirers of the 21-year-old. They were first interested in signing him from Midtjylland in January 2023, but Sporting CP beat them to his signature for an initial £6.3m.
Arsenal have continued to be credited with an interest, but there has been no formal approach.
Diomande is a strong ball-playing centre-back. He had a passing accuracy of 94 percent last term.
The Ivorian also won 65 percent of his aerial duels alongside 5.1 recoveries and 2.6 clearances per game.
Despite the positives, Diomande has been rash with his decision-making on many occasions. He conceded four penalties last campaign at Sporting CP and was sent off a couple of times.
He is a player with immense potential but has yet to evolve into a perfect centre-back. Unless Kiwior is contemplating a move away, Arsenal don’t need to consider a move for Diomande.
We believe the speculation could be agent-driven. Arsenal’s name has probably been added to speed up negotiations with other suitors such as Bayern, who looked at signing him last winter.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com
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