Chelsea sent a scout to watch Sporting Lisbon centre back Ousmane Diomande on Saturday whilst he was representing his country Ivory Coast against Morocco, according to reliable Portuguese outlet Record.
They state that there is set to be competition for the 19 year old centre back and Sporting are trying to get him to sign a new contract, which would then include a release clause around £70m.
Chelsea could look to take advantage of this situation in January, however, this is not the typical young signing that can be signed with a view to being a future investment, this is a player of an extremely high level at a young age and a player that is dominating in Portugal, for one of the biggest clubs.
It is expected that other Premier League clubs will join the race to sign Diomande, and the player would surely be tempted should he receive offers.
The question on Chelsea’s end is, do they need another centre back? It is an area that the owners have invested heavily on and players such as Bashir Humphreys and Wesley Fofana are due to return next season.
Correct in your ending analysis. BUT, take note that we tend to waste money where it’s obvious we don’t need to.