Arsenal are understood to be one of the clubs monitoring Sporting Lisbon defender Ousmane Diomande this summer as he’s tempted by the prospect of a move to the Premier League.
Sources with a close understanding of the situation have informed CaughtOffside that Arsenal are alongside the likes of Manchester City and Newcastle in “monitoring” Diomande, though he’s not thought to be an urgent priority for those clubs.
The talented 19-year-old is highly regarded all across Europe, with clubs from other major leagues also keeping tabs on his progress, but Sporting are likely to insist that his £68million release clause is paid in full in order to let him go.
Diomande has a contract with the Portuguese giants until 2027, so there is little pressure for them to cash in on him now, even if CaughtOffside understands he is seduced by the idea of moving to the Premier League.
Arsenal’s current priority in defence is Ajax centre-back Jurrien Timber, so Diomande would likely only come into the equation if that deal fell through, or else he’ll more likely be one to look at more closely in the future.
Diomande also fits the bill in terms of the profile of player Newcastle are trying to sign, but their limited budget means paying his £68m buy-out clause is not an option for them this summer.
While the young Ivorian is understood to be happy at Sporting and not set to force a move, he is aware of interest in him from English clubs and would like the chance to move there at some point in the future.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have officially announced the signing of Kai Havertz from Chelsea and are closing in on a final agreement with West Ham for Declan Rice. Jurrien Timber contacts are ongoing and moving in a positive direction, though interest in full-backs Joao Cancelo and Ivan Fresneda appears to have cooled for the time being.
This young lad will be our best and most important signing – not even Rice and Havertz, with all due respect. He will certainly be an upgrade on both Magalhaes and Saliba, meaning at all time we will have two from the trio to choose from. If we get him for that 68m pounds release clause and use 3 to 6m pounds to get 19 years Zambrano Preciado from L.D.U Quito in Ecuador to deputise Partey, then we are good to go, including those two earlier additions of Rice and Havertz
Like most Arsenal supporters, i worry when we play the bigger teams that we leak goals. Arsenals defence is lacking in quality squad numbers. Diomande would definitely be worth the money if he can adapt his form to the faster premier league and would be good investment for a 19 year old, if we were able to negotiate a longer structure deal at the asking price of £68 million to include addons before reaching that price as he is untested in the premiership.. There is of course another defender that is world class with a lower buy out clause, and that is Kim Dim-aei of Napoli. Both or either would improve Arsenals defensive squad depth.
There should be money left in the kitty to buy a quality defender, especially if we sell a few players. Arsenal have changed the way they buy and sell players. If you want facts here they are. The structure of the deal for Rice was already part agreed between West ham and Arsenal which was the initial £75 million, but the add-ons was the stumbling block. The add-ons have now been changed and agreed. This is together with the pre agreed initial £75 million is £10 million for each of the first 3 winter years of a 6 year contract but *without conditions*, the 7th year optional. Total is £105 million. Kai has a similar structure deal but with added minor conditions. That is £50 million plus £5 million for each of the first 3 years of a 6 year contract with 7 th year optional. Total £65 million. My friend works in the admin team, but I cannot mention her name. The structure for Kai will be announced first then Rice within 9 days. Personally i dont think he is worth it, but time will tell. They will also sell their players in a similar structured way to get the maximum capital for thieir players from financial difficult teams.
Of course at the back there we have some loose ends which our current defence is unable to tighten up. If he is good as everyone else sees him, he’s the one to be looked at then.