Arsenal failed with a £30 million bid for Sporting Lisbon defender Ousmane Diomande and the Premier League challengers may be forced to stump up closer to £70 million next year.
He may be only 19 years of age, but Ousmane Diomande has already proven in front of the keen eye of Mikel Arteta that he has what it takes to make the step up against elite opposition on the biggest stage.
The teenage centre-back was a picture of maturity and self-confidence as Sporting Lisbon knocked Arsenal out of the Europa League at the last-16 stage in the spring. That was one of a number of eye-catching displays during an outstanding debut season in the Portuguese capital; Diomande proving himself to be one of the best bargain buys anywhere on the continent at a cool £7 million.
Arsenal miss out on Ousmane Diomande again
It would take a bid of around 10 times that fee to twist Sporting’s arm these days.
According to Record, Arsenal had a £30 million bid rejected a few months after that penalty shoot-out defeat to Ruben Amorim’s side in March, a game best remembered for Pedro Goncalves’ remarkable Nayim tribute.
Arsenal, Record adds, have ‘promised’ to come calling for Diomande again next summer. The Gunners may be wasting their time, however, unless they are willing to trigger the £70 million release clause in the youngster’s contract with Sporting standing firm on the valuation of their prized asset.
‘He’s very technical’
“Diomande started training here when he was ten years old,” says OS Bobo chief Amza Gamal; president of the club where Diomande began his career back home in the Ivory Coast.
“He is very technical and shows a lot of intelligence playing short and long passes. He has a good sense of anticipation. Added to these qualities, he also has speed and is efficient in his duels.
“Sporting is a great European club, which plays good football. I am convinced that Diomande will continue to evolve. (I think) he will be one of the best central defenders in the world.”
Interestingly, Arsenal knew all about Diomande when he was making his name in Denmark for Midtjylland, only abandoning a deal due after being forced to prioritise a new midfielder instead; Jorginho eventually arriving from Chelsea.
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