West Ham United are joining the race to sign Ousmane Diomande with Arsenal now facing a real battle for the Sporting defender.
Arsenal could now face competition for Sporting defender Ousmane Diomande with West Ham United showing an interest.
That is according to Portuguese newspaper Record, who report that interest in Diomande is already mounting.
The January transfer window is still a long way off, but Premier League clubs will be looking at a number of potential signings.
The Premier League is the biggest market around and clubs will be commanding big fees from English clubs for their top players – such as Sporting and Diomande.
West Ham United join Arsenal in Ousmane Diomande race
It’s now suggested that Arsenal have already put €35million (£30.5million) on the table for Diomande ahead of January.
We can’t imagine Arsenal already making bids well in advance of January, but the Gunners have liked Diomande for a long time.
Arsenal now face a battle though as Record suggest that the Gunners have failed with that bid and now face competition from West Ham United.
The Hammers are thought to have scouted Diomande in action for the Ivory Coast against Lesotho earlier this month.
West Ham then started asking questions about Diomande’s potential availability with David Moyes and co seemingly keen to bring him to East London.
Who is Sporting wonderkid Diomande?
Diomande was born in the Ivory Coast and headed to Denmark with FC Midtjylland back in 2020.
The 6ft 3in centre back never even made a first-team appearances for Midtjylland and was sent on loan to Portuguese side Mafra for the first half of last season.
Diomande impressed so much that Sporting pounced in January and he has become an important first-team player ever since.
Hailed for having ‘immense potential’ by former Mafra teammate Gui Ferreira, Diomande has developed rapidly during his time with Sporting.
Now with a first Ivory Coast cap under his belt, Diomande is making swift progress and could become a Premier League player in the coming months.
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