Arsenal get big transfer boost with £68m star now available for £43m – report | OneFootball

Arsenal have been handed the opportunity to sign Sporting Lisbon centre-back Ousmane Diomande for a discounted price, according to Correio da Manha.

The Gunners are long-term admirers of the Ivory Coast international. They were initially interested in signing him from Norwegian club FC Midtjylland in January 2023.

Sporting beat them to his signature for €8.5 million (£7.2m). Mikel Arteta’s side made a €35m (£30m) offer for him last summer, but the Portuguese side rejected the proposal.

Arsenal have not made a renewed bid for the 20-year-old, but Correio da Manha (page 11) claim that their chase could gain more strength with Sporting’s decision to lower the asking price.

The Portuguese champions were previously holding out for his £68m release clause, but are now prepared to accept £43m to part ways with the highly-rated defender.

Arsenal could make fresh move for Diomande

Diomande had a brilliant start to the 2023/24 season with Sporting, but his performances dipped during the back end of the campaign where he was prone to making errors.

This could be a possible reason behind Sporting’s change of stance. The Portuguese outfit need to balance their books by June 30 and are looking for a big-money sale.

It is left to be seen whether Arsenal will make a fresh proposal for him. Arsenal currently have William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes as assured starters in central defence.

Jurrien Timber, Jakub Kiwior, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu can all operate in the heart of the backline if the manager does not have the services of Saliba or Magalhaes.

The club are well equipped in the position. A deal for Diomande could depend on a potential exit.

Kiwior is the only player likely to head for the exit door. If the Pole were to leave, Arteta could prioritise a like-for-like replacement – a left footed centre-back instead of a right-footed option.

In that case, the club could concentrate on signing Ajax’s Jorrel Hato instead of Diomande. The 18-year-old would be a better choice as he can also operate from left-back.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com