Chelsea make decision over top-class defender with Star leaving!

After being unable to get a January deal done – CHELSEA FC are now interested in a summer swoop for Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande, sources have told Football Insider.

There is still a lot of speculation surrounding the players that Mauricio Pochettino will look to sign during the January window, especially now that Thiago Silva is expected to leave the club at the end of the season.

That has led to some rumours in the media which have claimed that we tried to get a transfer deal done for Diomande in the last few days of the Summer window, but a €35million (£30m) bid rejected.

Diomande, who has an €80m release clause, quickly became a regular in the Sporting defence following his arrival at the start of the year, making his European debut against the Gunners in the Europa League.

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The Portuguese giants are said want the centre-back’s full release clause if they are to even contemplate selling the Ivorian, 20.

But Football Insider believe the Blues are still taking a look at Diomande.

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Diomande has been very impressive this season and it would be interesting to see if he could handle the pressure of playing for one of the big clubs in the Premier League.

And the fact that he would add depth to the squad for not a lot of money, it could be a great buy from that board and could be a player that adds some more quality to that Blues squad.

Many fans would like to see a striker make the move to the club in the coming weeks – but Diomande would still be a good signing this transfer window or at the end of the season

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