Diomande headache for Sporting, lions may need transfer move | OneFootball

Ousmane Diomande, Sporting’s defender, was called up this Tuesday to join the Ivory Coast national team, which will prepare for the upcoming AFCON and the 2026 World Cup with two matches in the Middle East. The 21-year-old player was not part of Emerse Faé’s initial list, but ended up being called up after Evan Ndicka’s injury.

Now, the possible participation of the defender in the next AFCON, which would keep him out of selection for more than a month, could speed up the signing of a new center-back at the start of the winter transfer window, since the Lions only have three natural center-backs: Eduardo Quaresma, Zeno Debast, and Gonçalo Inácio.

Rui Borges’ protégé has nine caps for the ‘Elephants’, the most recent being last March against Gabon. Now, in this November training camp, Ivory Coast will face Saudi Arabia on the 14th and Oman on the 18th.

Moreover, Liverpool from England have Ousmane Diomande on their list of potential signings. The Sporting center-back’s performances have impressed the English club’s officials, as he has been the ‘boss’ of the Lions’ defense, especially since Sebastián Coates’ departure (Learn more HERE).

In the current season, Ousmane Diomande – valued at 45 million euros – has played seven matches for Sporting: three in Liga Portugal Betclic, two in the Champions League, one in the Portuguese Cup, and another in the Super Cup. In total, the center-back has accumulated 497 minutes on the pitch.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.