Arsenal and Chelsea have been linked with a move for 19-year-old Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande.
Ousmane Diomande has impressed Arsenal and Chelsea with his performances for Sporting CP, and they were hoping to sign him. However, a report by A Bola via Sport Witness has claimed that the player has now decided that he wants to stay at Sporting CP despite interest from the Premier League clubs.
The defender has an €80 million release clause in his contract, and Sporting CP will not want to lose him for cheap. Arsenal and Chelsea would have to pay a substantial amount of money in order to secure his signature.
But the highly-rated centre-back’s reluctance to complete the move will certainly discourage them. The development will come as a major blow for the two English clubs. Arsenal could certainly use more depth in central defence, and Diomande would have been a quality long-term acquisition.
As far as Chelsea are concerned, Thiago Silva is in his twilight years, and the Brazilian defender will need to be replaced adequately. Diomande could have been the quality long-term replacement for the Chelsea star.
It will be interesting to see how the situation develops over the next few months. The talented young defender needs to play regularly at this stage of his career, and he must seek game-time assurances before joining another club. Arsenal and Chelsea will have to promise him ample first-team action so that he can continue his development with regular first-team football.
Diomande cannot afford to sit on the bench at a big club at that stage of his career. Meanwhile, Arsenal and Chelsea will hope to agree on a reasonable deal with Sporting CP as well. Although Diomande is a prodigious young talent, he has certainly done nothing to justify the €80 million price tag yet.
Also Read: Three potential January centre-back targets for Chelsea
Chelsea and Arsenal will be hoping to compete for major trophies in the coming seasons, and they will need to plug the gaps in their squad in order to match up to the Premier League elite. Signing a quality, central defender will certainly improve both teams.
