Arsenal and Newcastle United have reportedly sent scouts to monitor the exploits of young Ivorian defender Ousmane Diomande as the Africa Cup of Nations beckons this month.
The 20-year-old defender has caught the attention of top European teams after making a very good impression in the Portuguese Liga for his club Sporting Lisbon last term.
The young defender has been named in the Cote d’Ivoire squad by Jean-Louis Gasset for the upcoming tournament, which is kicking off in ten days.
Diomande has been rated by Whoscored.com with a second successive pass rate of 92.1% in the Portuguese premier division.
Football Insider reported that Arsenal have made contact with the family of the young defender as Mikel Arteta seek to land the Portuguese based defender in London next summer.
A move in the winter transfer window could prove very difficult as the Ivorian will be having maximum concentration during the AFCON.
With Newcastle also making contact with the youngsters’ representatives, the two Premiership sides are set to battle each other for the signature of the highly-rated centre-back.
Diomande is expected to form a formidable partnership in central defence for the Elephants as they enter the AFCON tournament.
As hosts of the 34th edition of Africa’s flagship football tournament, Cote d’Ivoire have their eyes on the ultimate prize.
