Arsenal make transfer promise to return for £30m deal next summer after swift rejection

Arsenal have promised Sporting Lisbon that they will return with a fresh move for star centre-back Ousmane Diomande next summer.

Diomande only joined the Portugese giants in January of this year, but has quickly developed into one of the rising stars in the Primeira Liga. His performances for Sporting have drawn the eye of the Gunners, who are still looking to boost their defensive options.

Boss Mikel Arteta brought in Jurrien Timber in the summer and also launched a move for Diomande. But Sporting quickly rejected their £30million bid for the 19-year-old, who has a £68m release clause in his contract, which still has four years to run.

Despite the Portugese side being in such a strong negotiating position, Arsenal have not been deterred from their chase. According to Record, though the Gunners saw that £30m bid rejected, the Premier League title challengers will return with fresh interest next summer.

It is said that they fully intend to submit a new bid at the end of the season, in the hope of bringing him to the Emirates. Diomande’s reputation is burgeoning since his arrival in the Portugese capital.

He has started all four of Sporting’s games so far this season, with Ruben Amorin’s side sitting third after winning three and drawing once. That earned the defender his first senior start for the Ivory Coast, which came in a 1-0 win over Lesotho on Saturday.

The Gunners are set to be in the market for new defenders next summer, with Gabriel out of favour. The Brazilian came back into the side for the win over Manchester United, but with Timber likely ruled out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury, Arteta could explore the market in upcoming windows.

“It’s a huge blow, especially for him having just joined the club to have the injury that he has is a huge disappointment for him. Obviously for the team, it’s a big blow because we recruited him with clear intentions and what he was bringing to the team was evident,” he said of Timber.

“We have to adapt, these things happen unfortunately, and we have to move on. Jurrien been very good, to be honest, he’s a special character, he knows, and I think he’s started to realise the extent of the injury and the amount of time that he’s going to be out.

“We are all willing to him help and we are all very close to him, but it’s going to be a long journey. I am more thinking about the resources that we have within the team to keep doing what we want to do.