According to recent reports, Arsenal have progressed their interest in signing Sporting defender Ousmane Diomande. Mikel Arteta is keen to bolster his defensive options in January following the injuries to Thomas Partey and Jurrien Timber earlier this season.
According to Portuguese publication O Jogo, Arsenal have made an early approach to sign Ousmane Diomande ahead of the January transfer window. It remains to be seen whether Sporting would allow the player to leave midway through the season, however the 19-year-old defender does have a release clause of £70million in his current contract.
Arsenal aren’t the only club closely monitoring the defender, with Newcastle United also keen on bringing him to the Premier League, although any deal is January seems unlikely.
Diomande has started all of Sporting’s league games so far this season which shows just how important he is to the Portuguese side. He’s also featured in all four of the club’s Europa League games as well.
READ MORE: Gabriel Martinelli being tested in new position for Brazil while on international duty.
As the Gunners spent over £200million in the summer, the club aren’t expected to have a massive budget come the winter window. This makes a move for the Sporting centre-back unlikely in January, however with Mikel Arteta a big fan of the player, there’s no doubt the work has already begun in securing his signature come the end of the season.
It’s also been reported Mikel Arteta wants to try and sign a midfielder in January after the recent injury to Thomas Partey which is expected to keep him on the sidelines until the end of January. The Gunners have been linked with a move for Ruben Neves and Aston Villa’s Douglas Luis over the past week who would both be top additions to this current Arsenal side.
One reason Arsenal lost out on the Premier League title last season was down to the injury to William Saliba and Mikel Arteta is determined to make sure the same doesn’t happen again in the 2023/24 campaign with the Arsenal manager already preparing reinforcements ahead of the January transfer window.
NEXT ARTICLE: Arsenal player admits he wants to return home when his contract expires.
