Chelsea have responded after Sporting CP informed them of their asking price for Ousmane Diomande
The Blues are targeting the 20-year-old centre-back but it’s deemed unlikely that any move would be taking place this window at least.
Diomande, who is also reportedly a target for Liverpool, is currently representing Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations.
However, Sporting has informed interested parties that acquiring Diomande this month would require meeting his £69 million release clause. Chelsea are hesitant to pay such a fee at this juncture, Football.London has reported.
Therefore, any move won’t materialise until summer when Sporting might be more open to offers and negotiations.
In terms of potential incoming transfers, Chelsea's activity appears to be limited, following their splurge in the transfer window last summer.
However, it is thought that several Chelsea players could depart this month, either through loan deals or on a permanent basis, as they look to free up the wage bill.
Armando Broja is one such player drawing interest, with West Ham and Fulham linked to the youngster so far. Meanwhile, there are also several undisclosed Premier League clubs who are keen on the 22-year-old.
Broja is a product of the club's academy and so a sale for him would mean pure profit for the West London club’s owners.
A similar situation surrounds Conor Gallagher. Earlier this month, reports indicated that the England international ideally wishes to stay at Stamford Bridge, but some members of the Blues hierarchy have other ideas.
Gallagher has had an inspired season at Stamford Bridge, being widely considered as the club’s best-performing player so far. But there are murmurs that Tottenham are very keen on purchasing the 23-year-old. Chelsea are yet to disclose an asking price for the England international so far, but they have quoted around £50m before.
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