Quantcast
Home   >   Transfer News   >   Arsenal in fierce battle to sign Ousmane Diomande

Arsenal in fierce battle to sign Ousmane Diomande

By on December 12, 2025

Ousmane Diomande

Arsenal are reportedly in a fierce battle with Premier League rivals to sign Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande, as per Caught Offside.

The Gunners decided to reinforce the centre-back position by signing Piero Hincapié and Cristhian Mosquera last summer. However, they have faced numerous injury problems in this area at the moment.

William Saliba has been out in recent matches due to a minor issue, while Gabriel Magalhaes has sustained a muscular injury and is set to remain sidelined over the next few weeks.

Mosquera picked up an ankle injury against Brentford last week and has been ruled out for several weeks. Jurrien Timber is a centre-back by trait, but Mikel Arteta has made him a right-back, and he provided cover in the centre-back position amid the trio’s absence.

However, he sustained an injury against Aston Villa last weekend, so he was absent in the last game against Club Brugge in the Champions League.

With Arteta left so thin in the centre-back department, he even used Christian Norgaard in this position in midweek. So, it appears Arsenal are planning to add further depth to the backline next year.

Diomande to Arsenal

Caught Offside state that Arsenal are interested in signing Diomande after monitoring his development closely and could make a concrete approach in January or next summer.

However, Sporting don’t want to part ways with him just yet and will only sanction his departure if his £70m release clause is triggered by the Gunners.

Purchasing the Ivory Coast international won’t be easy for Arsenal, as Manchester United, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, and Newcastle United are in this race as well, with the Blues and the Eagles showing the most concrete interest in signing him.

Arsenal hold a long-term interest in Diomande as they have been linked with a move for him over the last few years. He has enjoyed great success at Sporting since joining from FC Midtjylland, winning two league titles and a Taca de Portugal trophy.

Diomande is still just 22 and has plenty of room to grow. So, he might be a shrewd acquisition for Arsenal should they eventually manage to lure him to the Emirates Stadium in January or next summer.