Every time when AFCON comes, a number of clubs from the Top 5 European leagues are crippled since their important players are going to the biggest African tournament. And many of their coaches publicly or privately are moaning that they are in a difficult position since they won’t have their key players for a number of weeks. And yet, every year when the tournament starts, a flock of European scouts are there to watch the African jewels, and the Ivory Coast hosted AFCON is no different. One of the stars of the tournament, in terms of future transfers is certainly Ousmane Diomande. After Xavi’s shock announcement, Tuchel and Arteta had to speak outThe young defender is the target of a several big clubs, Arsenal among them. Sporting Lisbon player is highly regarded as one of the brightest talents and the Portuguese teams is bound to earn some good money for the Ivory Coast native, whom they brought in just a year ago for 7.5 million euros. According to Portuguese outlet ‘A Bola’, Arsenal are one of the clubs who have sent scouts to watch the Ivorian at AFCON. The Gunners reportedly submitted a 30 million pounds bid for Diomande in the June transfer window, but it was swiftly rejected, as he reportedly has an over 70 million release clause, which is more than double of Arsenal’s offer. Despite only making his debut for the African nation in September, Diomonde has been crucial as his side reached the last-16 and the London club wants to see how he deals with pressure in a big derby match with Senegal in the AFCON’s Round of 16. If he plays like he did so far for Sporting, coach Mikel Arteta will surely include him in his whish list for June 2024 transfer window. ##NAJAVA_MECA_7828111##
