Contact made: Arsenal set to secure the signature of £70m defender who is wanted across Europe – first bid made already awaiting for final greenlight
One thing that became clear in the summer transfer window is Arsenal’s desire to ensure that last season was no one-off and that the days of struggling to even reach the Premier League’s top four are long behind them. They splashed the cash to welcome Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and David Raya in the hope of competing for the title once again.
And months later, whilst they may not sit top of the tree, the Gunners are in contention for England’s top prize, remaining just five points behind Liverpool, who still have to come to the Emirates early next month.
With that said, those in North London may well be looking to repeat their transfer genius by welcoming one particular young defender, having already reportedly made contact.
Arsenal transfer news
Such is the extensive planning that goes on at The Emirates these days from the likes of Edu Gaspar and Mikel Arteta, Arsenal’s focus has seemingly extended beyond the January transfer window and already onto the summer, when they’ll be hoping to tempt players into a move as freshly crowned Premier League champions. Among those who could be swayed is a young defender currently starring Portugal and attracting plenty of interest.
According to Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, Arsenal have made contact with the family of Ousmane Diomande over a potential summer move from Sporting, who will likely be looking to receive the defender’s £70m release clause in full.
The 20-year-old is reportedly set to become one of the most in-demand players in Europe this year, however, meaning that the Gunners may need to act quickly if they want to secure his signature in the summer transfer window, with Newcastle among those also interested.
Adding Diomande to Arteta’s centre-back options would certainly take Arsenal up a level. Suddenly, they’d have William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and, indeed, Diomande to call on in what would be seen as the type of depth that results in the highest honours in both European and English football.
“Elite” Diomande can become better than Gabriel
By signing Diomande, Arteta could form one of the best centre-back partnerships in the Premier League in the form of Saliba and the Ivory Coast man. Given that the Sporting defender is just 20-years-old and Saliba only 22, the Gunners would be getting themselves a duo capable of carrying Arteta’s backline for the next decade, making that £70m price tag all the more worthwhile.
Diomanande’s stats also show that he is on course to become even better than Saliba’s current partner Gabriel.
A young gem in Portugal, Diomande has been at the centre of praise, including from Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig, who posted on X: “Ousmane Diomande. You rarely see a player with such high ball-playing and pure defender skills. There are some tactical improvements but I’m quite sure this kid will play for the best teams in the world. The signs of elite talent.”
