Manchester City are reportedly watching Sporting CP centre-back Ousmane Diomande closely, along with Arsenal.
City have just enjoyed a tremendous summer that saw four top players join the club.
Josko Gvardiol, Jeremy Doku, Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes all came in to further strengthen the squad.
City did lose Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte.
But the general feeling so far is that City are stronger. And the results and performances prove it.
City are always looking to strengthen, despite being top dogs in the Premier League.
And seemingly, they believe Diomande could be a potential signing for the future…
Manchester City eyeing move for Ousmane Diomande
According to A Bola ahead of this weekend, City are interested in Diomande from Sporting.
The Portuguese publication believe that City will not let the player out of their sight.
But there is competition for City in the form of Arsenal.
Despite initially having doubts over him, Sporting officials now believe he could well be a huge sale for the club in the future.
It is stated that City identified Diomande a while ago, and actually had scouts in attendance to watch him playing against RB Salzburg in the Europa League this week.
Diomande is likely to be very expensive to potential suitors.
He has a release clause of £70 million, which Sporting are likely to refer other clubs to given his exciting trajectory.
Diomande looks a real gem, as Manchester City watch defender
Diomande’s reputation has been growing in recent times.
He may only be 19. But he seems to be a serious talent emerging in Portugal.
City have a plethora of excellent central defenders right now.
But Diomande is someone who could be added to the mix later down the line.
He is a particularly good passer of the ball. Specifically when it comes to breaking the lines.
In the last 365 days, Diomande has recorded a pass accuracy of 90.2%. And he’s average 5.72 progressive passes per 90.
For context, Josko Gvardiol – a player hailed for his amazing ball-playing – has an accuracy of 89.2% and a progressive passes per 90 of 4.14.
It’s possible he would like to join a side with quality players that he could learn a lot from.
City have also previously had Ivorian players such as Yaya Toure, Kolo Toure and Wilfried Bony at the club, and Diomande may fancy following in their footsteps.
