Man Utd 'hold talks' with €80m Amorim favourite

Cameron Smith

22 Nov 2024 07:30 GMT
3 min read

Manchester United are currently the frontrunners in the race to sign Ousmane Diomande, with Ruben Amorim reportedly initiating talks with the Sporting CP defender.

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Diomande is currently wanted by every elite Premier League club, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City all monitoring his progress since moving to Lisbon from Danish outfit FC Midtjylland in January 2023.

However, Man Utd have recently joined the race for his signature and they are now the favourites to land him next summer, as per Spanish outlet Fichajes.

Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans are all set to become free agents when their contracts at Old Trafford expire in 2025, and the Red Devils are eyeing a possible move for Diomande, in addition to Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite.

Furthermore, Ruben Amorim has already spoken to Diomande about a Man Utd switch in 2025, according to Sky Sport.

The Ivory Coast international reportedly favours a move to Old Trafford, due to the presence of Amorim, but Man Utd may be forced to trigger his €80 million release clause in order to complete a deal next summer.

In addition to Diomande, the Red Devils are also heavily linked in signing his Sporting CP team-mate Viktor Gyokeres following his immense goalscoring record over the past 18 months.

© IMAGO - Man Utd want to sign Ousmane Diomande

What has Ruben Amorim said?

Despite interest in Diomande and Gyokeres, Amorim has confirmed that he will not raid his former club during the January transfer window.

“I won’t be signing [Sporting players] in January, that’s what I said,” Amorim admitted upon his arrival at Man Utd.

“I don’t know about the summer. The main thing is to hold on until the summer. After that, we’ll see, Sporting’s players are very good players. I don’t know. We’ll see.”

Amorim will take charge of his first Man Utd fixture against newly-promoted Ipswich Town on 24 November.