After joining Sporting from Danish club Midtjylland in January 2023, the Ivory Coast international has established himself as a staple in the team, making 38 appearances for the Portuguese powerhouse.
This season, Diomande and Goncalo Inacio have established a reliable center-back pairing. The former has appeared in 15 matches in the Primeira Liga.
PHOTO:Ousmane Diomande’
Ruben Amorim‘s men are going well in the Portuguese top flight, sitting at the head of the division after losing just two of their 15 league matches to date.
Despite Diomande’s importance to a title-chasing Sporting side, a move away from Lisbon cannot be ruled out, according to football insider, who state that Arsenal, Newcastle and Chelsea are keen on the defender.
Mikel Arteta’s Gunners had reportedly spoken with the player’s family about a possible move in January or during the summer transfer window earlier in the week.
According to reports, Newcastle spoke with Diomande’s agents before the new year in an attempt to increase their prospects of winning European football for an iLeague championship.
This mostly comes down to the two sides’ situations surrounding Financial Fair Play, with Sporting demanding that Diomande’s £70m release clause is met. The same cannot be said for Chelsea, who are looking to lure the 20-year-old to Stamford Bridge this month as Mauricio Pochettino’s men aim to climb back into European contention in the Premier League.
The Blues are making the signing of a new centre-back a priority in 2024, considering that 39-year-old Thiago Silva has less than six months left on his contract.
Pochettino’s side are also linked to Diomande’s Sporting teammate Viktor Gyokeres, who has bagged 11 goals in the Primeira Liga since his summer switch from Coventry City.
Although unnamed, the report claims that the three-aforementioned clubs will face competition from other sides in England and around Europe for the signature of Diomande.
Despite speculation swirling around the future of the young defender, he is expected to line up for Sporting as they take on estoric in the Portuguese top flight on Friday night.
