Manchester City have reportedly made an approach to sign FC Midtjylland youngster Ousmane Diomande, with Arsenal also believed to be interested in the teenage centre-back.
According to the Daily Mail, the reigning Premier League champions have made their move in trying to bring the 19-year-old defender to Manchester, with City eager to beat the likes of Arsenal and Sporting Lisbon to the Ivory Coast talent, who Danish publication B.T. label as ‘a diamond’.
Currently out on loan at second-tier Portuguese side Mafra, Diomande has caught the eye of many having become a regular starter for the club this season, with the centre-back making 16 appearances in all competitions, scoring one and assisting another.
And now, City are in talks to sign Diomande from Midtjylland, with the Cityzens continuing to bolster out their youth ranks with some of the best talents in the world following the arrival of Argentine youngster Maximo Perrone from Velez Sarsfield.
Indeed, Diomande is tipped for big things having been signed by Midtjylland and caught the attention of both Arsenal and Sporting. Yet with City now in talks to sign the defender, it now feels like a matter of time before the Manchester giants have secured their man ahead of their English and European rivals.
Moreover, given how vast the City Football Group empire now is, signing a talent such as Diomande would be another good move for the organisation, with the defender clearly good enough to play for a bigger side in a better division than the Portuguese second tier.
City beating Arsenal to Diomande would be a massive coup
City have made it a good habit of using their infinite wealth to secure the signatures of some of football’s most exciting talents, which is why beating Arsenal to Diomande would feel like such a coup for Pep Guardiola’s side given how promising the defender appears on the outside.
With a network of clubs that will be willing to take the defender on loan, Diomande signing for City would be the best move for the young centre-back in his career, even with Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal flying in the league and having a youth-based playing policy that has worked wonders this season.
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