Crystal Palace could sign Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande in January, with it recently revealed that the Portuguese club are open to his departure.
Sporting’s interest in the star comes amid huge doubts over Marc Guehy’s future, with main suitors within the Premier League including Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United, while interest is also growing from across Europe.
Losing Guehi will undoubtedly be a big blow, but the captain has continued to impress in recent weeks, keeping clean sheets in three of his last four games in all competitions.
However, with the 25-year-old’s contract expiring next summer, it appears highly unlikely that the Eagles will be able to keep him, and now a new update on their pursuit of a potential replacement has been released.
Crystal Palace could sign Ousmane Diomand in January
According to a report in the Record (via Sport Witness), Crystal Palace could take a new approach to signing Diomande in the January transfer window, having originally secured €55 million ($4.9 billion) to sign the Sporting CP defender during the summer.
However, getting a deal over the line could be difficult as the Portuguese club are keen to keep the centre-back given their ambitions to win the La Liga title, and Palace may have to trigger his €80m (approximately £71m) release clause.
The 21-year-old has also been described as one of the ‘most coveted’ players in Sporting’s squad, and while Oliver Glasner’s side may face competition in the race for his signature, it would be a huge statement of intent if they were able to lure him to Selhurst Park.
Indeed, the youngster could have a big future ahead of him, with scout Ben Mattinson hailing the Sporting star as a “hybrid” of Arsenal defenders Gabriel and William Saliba, saying: “He could be a monster straight away.”
Despite his age, the starlet already has a wealth of experience in the first team, having made 109 appearances for Portugal, including 11 in the Champions League, and could be ready to test himself in the Premier League.
Signing Diomande would no doubt soften the blow of losing Guehi, but a potential £71m transfer fee could be an issue considering Crystal Palace only paid £27m for record signing Christian Benteke.
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The Eagles are in the race to sign him, and Gehi is expected to leave on a free transfer next summer.
