Man United transfer news: Red Devils head coach Ruben Amorim 'urging' English giants to move for Sporting Lisbon ace

Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim is reportedly pushing for his club to move for Sporting Lisbon centre-back Ousmane Diomande during the January transfer window.

There was a host of speculation surrounding Diomande's future during the recent summer market, with Barcelona and Man United both credited with an interest, while Crystal Palace are also believed to have made an attempt to sign him as a replacement for Marc Guehi, who saw a late switch to Liverpool break down.

The 21-year-old ultimately remained with Sporting, but a frustrating start to the 2025-26 campaign has seen him make just three appearances, having been sidelined due to a muscular problem.

Diomande suffered the injury on August 8 against Casa Pia, and he has not played in the league since, but the defender was back on the bench against Porto at the start of October and did feature in the third round of the Taca de Portugal against Pacos Ferreira on Saturday.

The Ivory Coast international's future remains the subject of much speculation, and according to reports in Spain, he could be offered the chance to move to the Premier League in January.

Man United 'eyeing' January move for Sporting's Diomande

Man United would allegedly be willing to pay €50m (£43.5m) for Diomande, and a deal could potentially take place during the January transfer window.

Red Devils head coach Amorim is believed to have made it clear to club chiefs that he needs a new centre-back in 2026, and he managed Diomande at Sporting, who signed the defender from FC Midtjylland in 2023.

Diomande, who has a contract with his Lisbon club until June 2027, has made 104 appearances for the Portuguese giants, scoring six goals and registering two assists in the process.

Standing at 6ft 3in, Diomande would bring a physical presence to the Man United defence and would certainly aid them on set pieces, which are becoming more prominent in the Premier League.

Do Man United need another centre-back?

Man United are well-stocked at the back, with Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven, Lisandro Martinez and Noussair Mazraoui all options in the back three.

Martinez is now back from a long-term knee injury, with a return to the squad against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday seen as possible, and Amorim now has big decisions to make in defence, especially with Yoro left out of the XI against Liverpool at Anfield.

Maguire only has a contract until next summer, though, and it remains to be seen whether he will sign a fresh deal on reduced terms.

Shaw is also not a long-term option at the back, while a loan exit may benefit Heaven at this stage of his career, so it is not difficult to understand why Amorim is keen to add a young centre-back to his squad to aid the team moving forward.