Sporting defender Ousmane Diomande and Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic
Arsenal are ahead of Newcastle United in the pursuit for Sporting star Ousmane Diomande, and the Gunners have reportedly ‘guaranteed’ they will return with a new offer for him in 2024.
Diomande has formed a solid back three with Sebastian Coates and Goncalo Inacio at Sporting. However, the Portuguese club are at growing risk of losing two of those stars.
Inacio is known to be a target for Manchester United, Liverpool and Real Madrid, while Tottenham Hotspur joined the race for him earlier on Wednesday.
Diomande, meanwhile, is on the radars of Arsenal and Newcastle. On November 17, it was suggested that Newcastle could launch a huge €140million (£121m) double swoop for Inacio and Diomande.
But last week, Arsenal were given a second opportunity to sign Ivory Coast international Diomande for themselves. Reports from Portugal revealed that Sporting ‘are not closing the door’ to his potential sale, after rejecting a €35m (£30m) bid from the Gunners in the summer.
Portuguese newspaper Record have now provided the latest on Diomande’s situation, as cited by Sport Witness. And it makes for great reading for Arsenal fans.
It is stated that Arsenal have breezed past Newcastle and are now in ‘pole position’ to sign Diomande. Newcastle are also in danger of missing out on Inacio, as Madrid are supposedly at the front of the queue to land him.
There is then an interesting claim about how desperate Arsenal are to take Diomande to the Emirates. It is suggested that Mikel Arteta’s side have already ‘guaranteed’ they will submit a new proposal for him next year.
Arsenal to submit fresh Ousmane Diomande bid
As mentioned previously, Arsenal have already failed with a £30m offer. Sporting are protected by Diomande’s contract, which runs until June 2027 and includes a whopping €80m (£69m) release clause. But it remains to be seen whether Sporting will hold out for that full £69m fee, and Arsenal could start the bidding at a lower sum.
As the 19-year-old is an integral player for Ruben Amorim’s team, it is unlikely negotiations between Arsenal and Sporting will begin this winter. Instead, Gunners sporting director Edu will try to finalise an agreement at the end of the season.
The report adds that Chelsea are also keeping tabs on Diomande’s performances, though Arsenal and Newcastle’s interest are more advanced at the time of writing.
If Arsenal can sign Diomande for a reasonable price, then this would represent good transfer business. He would provide William Saliba, Gabriel and Jakub Kiwior with cover and competition for a starting spot at centre-half. Plus, Diomande is still young, which means he could develop into a top-class defender under Arteta’s guidance.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have been holding talks internally over the possibility of signing a Bundesliga hitman instead of Ivan Toney, according to a report.
