Arsenal made Ousmane Diomande transfer target while scouting ANOTHER star as they’re set for £50m battle with Chelsea

ARSENAL are mulling over a summer bid for Sporting Lisbon central defender Ousmane Diomande.

SunSport revealed earlier this month that the Gunners took notice of the 20-year-old Ivorian during a scouting mission at a Sporting vs Benfica clash out in Portugal.

The main focus of that trip was to see Sweden’s Viktor Gyokeres, 25, ahead of a potential move for the red-hot forward with 36 goals in 39 games in all competitions so far.

However, Diomande also stood out – and SunSport understands Arsenal are considering their options regarding an imminent move for the centre-back.

Chelsea are likely to rival them for the player, who has a release clause of around £68.6million, but that fee could drop to £50m with significant contractual add-ons included.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is interested in strengthening his defence, providing depth and cover for their first-choice centre-back pairing of Gabriel and William Saliba.

Diomande has played the majority of this campaign for Sporting in a back three, so is comfortable featuring in wide positions – something Arteta likes in his defenders.

Ideally, Arteta would go into the start of next season with four central defenders at his disposal, adding to Saliba, Gabriel and Jakub Kiwior.

But any bid depends on how much money they can raise through sales, as well as how much they are willing to spend in other areas, such as in attack.

Arsenal’s priority going into the summer is a No9 – and Gyokeres is among the list of names the club are considering splashing out on.

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Brentford's Ivan Toney is also a consideration, but Arteta will likely wait until the end of the season before deciding on the profile of striker his team needs compared to the options he already has.

Gabriel Jesus has spent a lot of this season injured, while Kai Havertz has contributed from deeper positions when leading the line.

A winger is also on Arteta’s wish list, providing cover for Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.

In the meantime, Aaron Ramsdale, Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson and Cedric Soares could all be leaving the club in a summer clear-out.