Arsenal keeping tabs on €140m Sporting Lisbon duo

Arsenal are keeping a close watch on Sporting Lisbon duo Ousmande Diomande and Goncalo Inacio, who are anticipated to leave this summer, as per Record.

The central defensive pairing have been brilliant for the Portuguese giants, who are currently top of the Primeira Liga ahead of holders Benfica.

Diomande and Inacio currently have release clauses worth €80m and €60m in his respective deals and Record claim that Sporting are bracing for their exits.

The Lisbon giants are already looking for new centre-backs for the summer with the defensive duo attracting interest from some of Europe’s elite clubs.

Arsenal are one of the teams that have been in-and-out of Sporting matches to monitor them.

Aside from the Gunners, Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid are also keeping tabs.

Diomande would be a better fit for Arsenal

Diomande and Inacio have been linked with the Gunners for the past 12 months,

The former was a target for Mikel Arteta’s side last winter, but they were beaten to his signature by Sporting. They tried again to sign him for €35m last summer, but Sporting snubbed the proposal.

On the other hand, Arsenal are yet to make any move for Inacio despite the speculation. In our view, Diomande would be an ideal fit for the Gunners with his better distribution and defensive skills.

The Ivorian star has a passing accuracy of 91 per cent in the Primeira Liga this term higher than Inacio (88). He has won a higher percentage of duels – 65 compared to Inacio’s 51 in the division.

On top of this, he has lost possession on 5.5 occasions per outing, much less than Inacio (10.2). Diomande is also two years younger than the Portuguese. It is quite clear that he is the better choice.

Diomande will cost a higher premium fee, but would be a smart investment for Arsenal.

William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes are currently undisputed starters, but the Gunners need strong competition for places if they want to compete for regular silverware in the forthcoming seasons.

Jurrien Timber, who is recovering from a knee injury, will be knocking on the door next term. Diomande would be another solid acquisition and will allow Arteta to rotate his options without drop in quality.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com