Manchester United move ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea in €80m hunt for 20-year-old defensive prodigy: Reports

Sporting Clube de Braga v Sporting Clube de Portugal - Liga Portugal Betclic - Source: Getty
Sporting Clube de Braga v Sporting Clube de Portugal - Liga Portugal Betclic - Source: Getty

According to a report from Caught Offside, Manchester United have edged ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea in the race to sign 20-year-old Sporting defender Ousmane Diomande. The Ivorian, who reportedly has a release clause of €80 million, is one of the best young defenders around at the moment.

The Red Devils leapt into pole position for the Abidjan-born defender's signature after they recently appointed his former coach, Ruben Amorim, to the Old Trafford hot seat. Diomande has played 5185 of his 7916 professional club minutes under Amorim and won the Portuguese league under his tutelage.

While Manchester United have jumped ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea for the defender's signature, his release clause could make his move hard to finance. Sporting sit in an excellent position to negotiate the defender's sale, with Diomande contracted to the Lisbon-based club until the summer of 2027.


Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal expected to battle for Gyokeres signature - Reports

According to a report by The Sun, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea are set to compete for the signature of Sporting's Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres next summer. The 26-year-old is one of the most lethal strikers around and is widely expected to move to a bigger team at the end of the current season.

Gyokeres joined Sporting from Championship side Coventry in the summer of 2023 for a reported €24 million fee and hit the ground running immediately. The Swede has bagged 67 goals and 19 assists in his 69 games for the side, making his reported £84 million (€100.75m) release clause look like a bargain.

The report also suggests that the striker has a gentleman's agreement with the side that will see him leave for as little as £63 million (€75.5m).

Manchester United are reportedly interested in paying the fee but will face competition from Arsenal and Chelsea for his services. Gyokeres has been in fine form this season and has bagged an impressive 24 goals and four assists from 19 games.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava
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