It’s now just over two weeks before the summer transfer window opens up and Mikel Arteta is set to be exceptionally busy with the rumour mill full of speculation as to who the Gunners will look to sign. The Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres is one such target but he is not the only one from his club who has caught the eye of the Emirates board.
Portuguese media, as reported by Sport Witness, have maintained the position that Arsenal are ‘one of the contenders’ to sign Diomande. The newspaper O Jogo wrote today that the Primeira Liga side are hopeful of signing Anderlecht’s Zeno Debast and point out that Sporting CP will need to sell a centre-back due to ‘financial balance’.
The Ivorian centre-back is said to be one of the ‘main candidates’ to leave the Portuguese champions side and it is also claimed he is ‘highly thought of’ by those at N7 who have had their eye on him for a while.
However, the 20-year-old has suffered a drop in form recently, with many pundits criticising his on-pitch antics. Local media also indicated that while the defender has a release clause of €80m (£69m), Ruben Amorim’s side could well be willing to sell the Ivorian for a discounted price with figures between €50m and €60m suggested (£47m).
Born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Diomande is the product of the Danish club Midtjylland. The centre-back headed to Portugal in 2022, initially signing a loan deal with Mafra from Midtjylland, but following impressive performances with the Liga Portugal 2 side, his loan was cut short halfway through the season and he signed with Sporting CP in January 2023.
The deal was thought to rise to €12.5m with add-ons and should see Diomande remain with the club until June 2027. However, if interest from the Gunners remains, it is unlikely Sporting CP will wish to keep a hold of the five-time Ivorian international.
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