£69-rated defender admired by Chelsea, two other Premier League clubs keen

Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande has been linked with a move away from the Portuguese club in recent months.

A report from Football Transfers claims that the defender is highly admired at Chelsea and it will be interesting to see if the Blues decide to make a move for him at the end of the season.

The 20-year-old central defender has a £69 million release clause in his current contract. The Portuguese outfit could demand the clause to be paid in full, and it remains to be seen whether Chelsea are ready to break the bank for him.

It is no secret that Chelsea need to bring in defensive reinforcements at the end of the season. They have looked vulnerable defensively this season and Thiago Silva will be out of contract in the summer. They will need to bring in a quality replacement for the Brazilian defender and Diomande would be a solid long-term investment.

The 20-year-old is widely regarded as one of the finest thing defenders in European football right now and he could develop into a key star for Chelsea. The £69 million asking price might seem like a premium right now, but Diomande has the quality to justify the investment in the near future.

Diomande is a man in demand

Chelsea will face competition from Liverpool and Newcastle United as well. It remains to be seen whether they can beat the competition from their Premier League rivals and get the deal done.

Chelsea have had a disappointing season this year and they are likely to miss out on Champions League qualification. A club of their stature should be competing for trophies every season and they need to plug the gaps in their squad during the summer transfer window in order to bounce back strongly next year.

Someone like Diomande could improve them immensely and help them get back to their best.