Chelsea have now made their move to try sign Sporting Lisbon’s Ousmane Diomande.
Record claimed a couple of months ago that Chelsea scouts have been looking at Sporting centre-back Ousmane Diomande this season.
Now, there’s fresh claims to explain that the Blues have ramped up interest in the 20-year-old defender.
£69m Blues target
The Evening Standard reports today that Chelsea have contacted Portuguese giants Sporting to discuss a possible deal for Diomande.
It is explained that the young centre-half is considered a ‘primary target’ for the Blues.
The report says that Sporting have rejected Chelsea’s initial enquiry for Diomande, insisting that they’ll only sell him if his full release clause of £69million (€80million) is met.
In addition, Mauricio Pochettino’s side want to sign another young central defender to their squad.
Apparently, they’re targeting another defender because Thiago Silva could leave when his deal expires at the end of the season, plus Trevoh Chalobah could be sold next month. There’s the long-term injury to Wesley Fofana to weigh up, too.
Chelsea move for Ousmane Diomande
Diomande is a star player for a Sporting team that sits top of the Portuguese top division. They’re still competing in the Europa League competition this season, too.
The Ivory Coast international is a towering 6ft 3in centre-back with an increasingly impressive reputation behind him.
It’s obvious that Chelsea are keen on the Sporting youngster after making a first approach, but will they be prepared to come again after initial rejection?
We’ve learned from this ownership at Stamford Bridge that they’re pretty persistent when it comes to signing the world’s best young talents. Diomande certainly ticks a lot of boxes when you look at his type of profile, albeit he’s still relatively pretty inexperienced.
Our big concern is whether or not there’s actually a spot for Sporting’s highly-rated defender in the current Pochettino squad.
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