Ousmane Diomande is ‘extremely satisfied’ at Sporting Lisbon amid reports linking the £70 million-rated defender with Premier League duo Arsenal and West Ham United.
Just last week, Fabrizio Romano poured an entire petrol can’s worth of fuel on the speculation pyre.
Arsenal, Romano explained on his Here We Go podcast, are not just admirers of Sporting Lisbon’s talented centre-half Ousmane Diomande. They are long-term admirers.
Arsenal watching Sporting Lisbon’s Ousmane Diomande
“I’m told he’s a player they’ve been tracking for a long time,” says one of the most reliable reporters in the game. “But it’s not only Arsenal (watching him). There are three or four clubs monitoring Diomande for the future.”
One of those, according to reports coming out of Portugal, may be West Ham United (Record), even if Diomande feels a little rich for David Moyes’ blood. Sporting, it seems, would be unwilling to accept offers below the Ivorian’s £70 million release clause.
And even if said clause was triggered by an Arsenal or another deep-pocketed European powerhouse, it is far from certain that Diomande would grab the nearest hold-all and board an Uber to Lisbon airport.
“He is extremely satisfied at Sporting. He is very focused on the club and the objectives for this season, which include winning the Primeira Liga title and improving,” Luis Cassiano Neves, Diomande’s agent, tells A Bola.
“And he knows that Sporting is the ideal club for this evolution. The player will be happy to sit at the table with Sporting (to discuss a new contract).”
A 6ft 3ins, 19-year-old, ball-playing centre-half; Diomande caught the eye as Sporting Lisbon knocked Arsenal out of the Europa League next season.
As a natural right-footer, however, there are obvious questions to be asked about what sort of a role he would have in Mikel Arteta’s plans. Or, indeed, whether one of Arsenal’s current defenders would first have to make way.
Diomande keen to stay in Portugal
William Saliba, Jurrien Timber and Ben White, after all, are already at Arteta’s disposal for the right-sided centre-half role.
Though, with Diomande’s camp ruling out a departure in the immediate future, these are questions Arsenal can mull over for some time
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