Arsenal have now made an strategy to signal a brand new centre-back, however they might want to fend off competitors from one in every of their Premier League rivals, in line with a report.
Arsenal switch information
If the Gunners are going to be within the race for the Premier League title as soon as once more this season, they could must strengthen in attacking areas, provided that they do not have a participant within the mould of Erling Haaland or Mohamed Salah in entrance of aim.
As such, there have been stories linking Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres with a move to north London, whereas they’re additionally stated to be eager on signing RB Leipzig’s up-and-coming striker Benjamin Šeško. Mikel Arteta‘s facet have been notably spectacular defensively in current instances, conceding the fewest targets of any Premier League facet final season, and the supervisor’s marquee summer signing was Riccardo Calafiori.
Nevertheless, there are indications that Arteta could must bolster his backline additional within the January switch window, contemplating that Jakub Kiwior is claimed to have been put up for sale.
Arsenal concentrating on Ousmane Diomande
With that in thoughts, Arteta seems to have recognized a possible alternative in defence, as stories from Portugal (via Sport Witness) state that an strategy has been made for Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande. Nevertheless, the 20-year-old won’t come low cost, as he has a launch clause of €80m (£66m) included in his present contract, which Sporting proceed to check with of their negotiations.
The report states that each Arsenal and Chelsea have already made approaches for the defender, which have been knocked again by the Portuguese membership, whereas German giants Bayern Munich are actually intensifying their efforts to get a deal over the road.
All three golf equipment are stated to carry a ‘critical’ curiosity within the centre-back, and whereas he’s conscious that membership are starting to queue up for his signature, he’s focussed on his profession at Sporting within the meantime.
If the Gunners are capable of win the race for the teen, he could possibly be a strong addition to the squad, with soccer scout Jacek Kulig claiming that he has “completely all the pieces to change into a top-class CB”. Efficiency analyst Jack Fawcett has additionally been filled with reward for the Sporting starlet.
Despite the fact that the Ivorian is simply 20 years previous, he has a plethora of first-team expertise with Sporting, making 26 league appearances within the title-winning 2023-24 season, and he has made three outings within the Champions League within the present marketing campaign.
As such, there are clear indicators that Diomande could possibly be destined for nice issues, so it’s promising information that Arsenal look like one of many golf equipment firmly within the race for his signature, and it is going to be attention-grabbing to see how the state of affairs develops earlier than January.