Tottenham reportedly have Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande ‘very high’ on their shortlist for the summer, while the defender is said to be ‘set to leave’ his current club for £17million lower than his release clause.
Spurs’ best centre-back pairing of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero is a good one. The pair have played 39 times together for the north London outfit, winning 1.77 points per game.
However, this season, they have played alongside each other just 11 times, owing to injuries. The pairing could be split up for good, too, with a recent report starting Romero is ‘willing to do everything’ to leave in the summer.
Atletico Madrid are said to be chasing him, and Tottenham could receive a big fee from the transfer.
They will want to replace Romero with a top-quality defender, and reportedly have Sporting’s Diomande in their sights. Indeed, TBRFootball reports the centre-back is ‘set to leave’ his current club this summer, and Tottenham have been watching him all season.
Despite manager Ruben Amorim’s exit in November, Sporting have maintained form and are still top of Liga Portugal, with 21-year-old Diomande playing almost every game.
While ‘several Premier League clubs’ are said to like the centre-back, Tottenham are reportedly ‘very much in the conversation’ for him. They have closely followed him this season and could make a move for him in the summer.
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Diomande has a £67million release clause, though as per the report, it’s believed his price could be dropped down to £50million.
That is less than it’s suggested Tottenham will demand for Romero, so they could certainly have a chance of landing the Sporting man if they are to lose their own centre-back.
Manchester United have previously been linked with Diomande, given his former boss Amorim coaches the Red Devils, while their rivals Manchester City are mentioned, as are Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle.
But Spurs are said to be in the mix, so could see their defence improve from the struggles of this season, when they have shipped 43 Premier League goals in 29 games so far.