Arsenal, Chelsea scouting £68m-rated target regularly, approach made

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

According to TBR Football, Arsenal have been scouting the 20-year-old central defender regularly and they will face competition from Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle United as well. The report further states that Tottenham wanted to sign the player before they signed Radu Dragusin and they see him as a long-term replacement for Cristian Romero.

Arsenal and Chelsea have reportedly already made approaches to sign the talented young defender, and it will be interesting to see how the situation develops. The defender has a release clause of £68 million in his contract, but he could be available for a lesser fee.

Arsenal could certainly use another quality central defender in their ranks, especially if they sanction the departure of Jakub Kiwior, who has been linked with an exit. Similarly, Chelsea need to bring in upgrades on Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi. Both players have been quite underwhelming, and Chelsea need better options if they want to reclaim their former glories.

Liverpool need more depth at the back as well. Virgil van Dijk will be a free agent next summer and the likes of Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate can be prone to picking up injuries.

Diomande would be a superb addition

All three clubs could use someone like Diomande, and he would be a long-term investment for them. It remains to be seen whether they can negotiate a reasonable deal with Sporting CP in the coming months.

Meanwhile, Tottenham defender Romero is on the radar of Real Madrid and the Spanish club could look to sign him in the coming months. Diomande could be the ideal alternative for the Argentine international. There is no shortage of clubs trying to sign the 20-year-old and it will be interesting to see where he ends up eventually.