Chelsea hold talks to sign Ousmane Diomande

Chelsea have apparently held talks with Sporting Lisbon over a potential deal for defender Ousmane Diomande.

The Ivory Coast international has developed into one of the best central defenders in the Primeira Liga and he could leave the club very soon.

Arsenal are also keeping a close eye on him and reports claim that the Blues have initiated contact with Sporting over the player.

However, a deal is far from happening at the moment with the Primeira Liga leaders determined to keep hold of their prized asset.

Diomande has played a key part in their strong title pursuit. The club won't accept less than his €80m release clause this winter.

Chelsea are not in a position to pay the clause due to FFP issues. They could propose a long-term payment plan for Diomande.

It is unlikely that Sporting will accept such kind of a proposal with manager Ruben Amorim wanting to keep his best players for the rest of the campaign.