Sporting Lisbon have dropped the price tag of Arsenal target Ousmane Diomande, according to Record.
The tabloid reports that the Portuguese champions need to balance the books and they have decided to sell the Ivorian international for below his €80m (£68m) release clause.
It is believed Diomande will be let go if they receive an offer in the region of €60m (£51m); a substantial drop on his previous valuation.
The change in stance is expected to alert a number of teams, including the Gunners, who have tracked the defender’s progress over the last 18 months.
Arsenal will have competition for Diomande
Mikel Arteta’s side were first credited with an interest in the 20-year-old prior to the 2023 January transfer window. The player was on loan at Mafra from Danish side FC Midtjylland at the time, but Sporting were the team that eventually secured his signature.
Manchester City were keeping tabs on Diomande back then too, and the Cityzens have since been joined by other Premier League clubs in tracking the player. Both Chelsea and Newcastle are also said to have scouted the centre-back in recent months.
Diomande’s potential has been known from a young age
The Ivorian came through the academy of Olympic Sport Abobo whose president Amza Gamal said last year that the player has all the talent to perform at the very highest level:
“Im convinced that Diomande will continue to develop and will become one of the best central defenders in the world. He’s very well-educated and has his head on straight. He wanted to join a project that would allow him to showcase his enormous talent, at Mafra, where he began to adapt.”
Diomande has certainly continued to impress during his stint at Sporting and it will now be up to Arsenal to decide whether they want to pay the necessary fee to snap him up this summer.
