Arsenal could compete with Crystal Palace for the signing of Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande, according to Record (page 16).
The Gunners were keen on recruiting Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth earlier this summer, but the Spaniard snubbed their interest to join Real Madrid.
The club are now eyeing an alternative centre-back and Portuguese outlet Record claim that they could swoop for the services of Diomande from Sporting.
Palace have already held talks with the player’s representative, but they have yet to present a formal proposal on the table for the 21-year-old.
Amidst this, Record report that Arsenal and Chelsea have already ‘made surveys’ for the player, who is seduced by a move to the Premier League.
Diomande has a £68.5 million release clause in his contract. Sporting are reluctant to sanction his sale for anything less than £51.4 million this summer.
Diomande speculation could be agent-driven
The Gunners are long-term admirers of Diomande. They were initially interested in the Ivorian star during his formative years with Midtjylland in Denmark.
Sporting beat them to his signature in the winter of 2023. Diomande has since developed into one of the best-performing centre-backs in the Primeira Liga.
Arsenal have continued to be linked with him, but they have yet to make any formal proposal.
Diomande is undoubtedly talented. He had a passing accuracy of 94 percent in the league last term. He won 65 percent of his aerial duels while making 2.6 clearances and 4.5 recoveries per game.
Despite this, his discipline was a major concern at different stages of the campaign. He was sent off on two occasions and conceded an astonishing four penalties in all competitions.
Hence, Diomande is far from a complete defender and needs more first-team experience. We believe the speculation linking Arsenal could be agent-driven to attract formal bids from elsewhere.
Arsenal seem more likely to pursue another young left-footed centre-back. They were unable to land Huijsen, but have proposed a six-year contract to Ajax wonderkid Jorrel Hato this week.
The Gunners are progressing with talks and have an upper hand over Chelsea in the race. Jurrien Timber could play a significant role in the deal as Hato considers him his ‘role model’.
Stats from Sofascore.com
