ARSENAL MATCH CHELSEA BID FOR ‘NEXT VAN DIJK’ AS BAYERN, NEWCASTLE KEEP TABS

Arsenal have reportedly matched Chelsea’s bid for Sporting Lisbon centre-back Ousmane Diomande, but also face competition from Bayern Munich and Newcastle for the man tipped to be the next Virgil van Dijk.

Diomande moved from FC Midtjylland for £6.5m in January 2023 and has caught the eye of European giants through his performances since.

Arsenal match Chelsea

Portuguese outlet Record claim Chelsea have offered £51m plus bonuses for the 20-year-old as they prepare for veteran Thiago Silva’s departure, and that bid has now been matched by Arsenal, who were suitably impressed while scouting teammate Viktor Gyokeres to open the chequebook.

Bayern and Newcastle are also thought to be interested in Diomande, who has a reported release clause of £69m.

Reports have suggested that Sporting would be willing to accept an offer below that figure, though they may well decide to hold out given the widespread interest of some of Europe’s elite.

Longstanding admiration

It’s understood Mikel Arteta and his team have been aware of Diomande since his days at Midtjylland, even though he didn’t make a senior appearance for the club, but joining the Gunners would likely see Diomande play second (or third) fiddle to Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba, who have formed an impressive partnership at the heart of their defence.

A move to Chelsea will mean no Champions League football, possibly no European football of any standard, but it would grant an improved chance of starting games, with none of Axel Disasi, Levi Colwill or Benoit Badiashile nailing down a spot in Mauricio Pochettino’s side due to their inconsistency.

Sporting face the prospect of losign Diomande, Gyokeres – whose 36 goals in 38 games have caught the eye of Arsenal and others – and their manager Ruben Amorim, who’s on the shortlists of Liverpool, Bayern and Barcelona.

Glen Johnson has warned Liverpool over Amorim’s appointment due to his lack of Premier League experience.

Johnson said: “Yes, you would be a bit wary because the Premier League and the Primeira Liga are very different.

“Organising a team and getting the players to play is the simple bit, but understanding the demands of the Premier League and the speed of the league is something that he would have to get used to.

“Signing players from a different league is risky and the same goes for managers.”

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2024-03-28T10:53:53Z dg43tfdfdgfd