Arsenal 'reignite interest' in £70m pass master as Marc Guehi, Jeremy Jacquet alternative

Arsenal have rekindled their interest in a Sporting Lisbon centre-back ahead of the summer transfer window, according to a report.

After struggling with a wealth of attacking injuries in the 2024-25 season, Mikel Arteta has been forced to work around a depleted defence for a large chunk of the 2025-26 campaign.

Piero Hincapie and Riccardo Calafiori were both absent from Saturday's goalless draw with Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, while Cristhian Mosquera was only an unused substitute after an ankle problem.

William Saliba, Ben White, Jurrien Timber and Gabriel Magalhaes have also all missed at least one game through injury this season, forcing Arteta to turn to Christian Norgaard in central defence on a couple of occasions.

Looking ahead to the summer transfer window, the injury-hit White could potentially be a candidate for a sale, while Real Madrid are likely to still have their eyes on Saliba despite his recent extension.

Arsenal reignite transfer interest in Sporting Lisbon's Ousmane Diomande?

The Gunners were previously credited with an interest in Marc Guehi, but Manchester City have won the race to sign the England international from Crystal Palace in a £20m deal, and the player arrived for his medical on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are believed to have made progress in their efforts to sign Rennes' Jeremy Jacquet, who was also on Arsenal's radar but has now agreed personal terms with the Blues.

According to CaughtOffside, Arsenal have now turned their attention to Sporting Lisbon's Ousmane Diomande, who is now in the last 18 months of his contract with the Portuguese giants.

However, the report adds that Diomande - who was a teammate of now-Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres at Sporting - has a £70m release clause in his contract, so he may not arrive on the cheap.

Diomande's contract situation means that the Lions may have to accept a lower fee for the 22-year-old, though, lest they risk losing him on a free transfer at the end of next season.

Ousmane Diomande in profile amid Arsenal transfer links

Diomande came through the ranks with Danish club Midtjylland before joining Sporting in a £12.6m deal in January 2023, since when he has become a mainstay for the Green and Whites.

The Ivory Coast international has recorded six goals and two assists in 113 matches for the Primeira Liga titans, although he has been restricted to just 12 games this season due to injury and the Africa Cup of Nations.

A right-footed defender who stands at 6ft 3in tall, Diomande would be a natural competitor or replacement for Saliba, and he could arguably rival the Frenchman's ability on the ball.

The 22-year-old boasts a 92.4% pass success rate over the past 365 days, a top 7% figure when compared to centre-backs in the big five European leagues, and his medium pass completion rate stands at a remarkable 97.6% - a top 1% figure.