Arsenal Closing In On Sporting Star Ousmane Diomande Amid Premier League Transfer Battle

According to Caught Offside, Arsenal has been linked with a move for Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande.

Sporting has been reaping big off the debutant after the Ivory Coast international signed from FC Midtjylland in January 2023. The 21-year-old was instrumental in his side winning Liga Portugal last season and was also in the Ivorian squad that won the AFCON.

Arsenal have been particularly associated with Diomande having shown interest in the young defender for some time now. However, the North London club has not directly entered the race to sign him just yet.

Chelsea, Bayern Munich Are Also Interested In Ousmane Diomande

The latest news shows that Diomande’s option has increased, and other prestigious teams, such as Chelsea and Bayern Munich, are showing interest in him. However, the same player is said to be interested in joining the Premier League with Arsenal tagged as one of the keen clubs for his signing.

Knowing the attention, Sporting CP added £68 million release clause in the contract of Diomande but the sporting management is reported to be willing to accept a £42 million bid.

Arsenal is one of the other teams said to be interested in the defender; however, Chelsea also shows their interest in the player, but it seems that Arsenal are in a better standing at the current stage to Get the player.

Born on 4th December 2003, Diomande stands 6ft 3 inches tall, is a strong, technical player, and does seem to be the future of soccer.

As for Arsenal’s defensive unit, Diomande may not be an immediate fix, but for the team’s planning for the future, along with the existing starters William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhães, Diomande may well prove to be an excellent addition.

However, the focus arises as to whether Arsenal needs to strengthen the attacking options more than developing a midfield powerhouse.

Of course, with the latest injury to Gabriel Jesus, Mikel Arteta is left with only Kai Havertz as the primary centre-forward. Havertz has been a headache regarding consistency, meaning that the Gunners need to add more firepower upfront to help attain their objectives this term.

The speed of Arsenal in this regard will determine whether there will be a bid advanced in January or if they will wait to do so in the summer. For now, at least, the young Ivorian becomes easily one of the most talked about prospects of the current transfer window.