Fabrizio Romano has commented on the recent speculation linking Chelsea with Sporting Lisbon defender Ousmane Diomande.
Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his Daily Briefing column, Romano explained that although Chelsea are likely to target a centre-back in 2024, he’s not aware of anything concrete going on with Diomande at the moment.
The transfer news expert did suggest, however, that the Blues may be one of many big clubs monitoring the talented young Ivory Coast international, as he noted that Arsenal have also been showing some interest in him for a while.
It seems nothing is happening with either club for the moment, however, and it’s not even clear if Chelsea are closely monitoring Diomande as one of their priorities, or just keeping him as one of a number of defenders on their radar.
It seems clear that Diomande has a big future in the game, so he could fit the bill for CFC, who have signed a number of elite young players under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.
For now, however, links with the 19-year-old seem to be little more than speculation, according to Romano.
“We’re now seeing talented young Sporting Lisbon defender Ousmane Diomande being linked with Chelsea, but my understanding is that there’s nothing concrete at the moment,” Romano said.
“Scouting activity for top clubs is normal and he’s very good player but I’m not aware of any concrete discussion so far.
“As I recently reported, Arsenal have been tracking Diomande for some time, but there are other interested clubs as well as he’s a big prospect, so it’s normal.
“Let’s see if the Chelsea links materialise into anything more concrete, but I’m not hearing of anything substantial at the moment.”