Arsenal and Manchester City have expressed an interest in signing Midtjylland defender Ousmane Diomande this month, according to O Jogo (today’s edition).
The 19-year-old is currently on a season-long loan at Portuguese second tier side Mafra where his performances have caught the eye of several top European clubs.
Sporting Lisbon recently made a €7 million offer to sign the young centre-back, but they face huge competition with Arsenal and Man City entering the transfer race.
The Ivorian is currently in his breakthrough season at Mafra where he has made 16 appearances. He has been a regular starter for them, chipping in with a goal and an assist.
Mafra boss Ricardo Sousa recently described him as a ‘fast player’, who is ‘very aggressive’. Such attributes would suit him well if he were to move to the Premier League.
It is unlikely that the youngster will break into the Gunners or Cityzens’ first-team plans immediately and could be loaned out for the next 18 months to gain more experience.
Midtjylland have not responded to Sporting’s transfer proposal for Diomande yet. With Arsenal and City now in the mix, they will be hoping for a fee in excess of €10m.
Despite being the league leaders, the Gunners have been fairly quiet in the transfer window with just two signings in the form of Leandro Trossard and Jakub Kiwior so far.
The onus appears on finding the right player in the transfer market and the club’s hierarchy seem prepared to wait until the summer to land some of their main targets.
Hopefully, this won’t cost them in the pursuit of a long-awaited title. Meanwhile, City are well covered in all departments but have still added another player to their ranks.
Pep Guardiola’s side recently signed 20-year-old Maximo Perrone. Both clubs could now compete for the services of Diomande before the transfer window closes next week.
