Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande has given a personal thumbs-up to a move to Leeds United this summer amid claims from a Portuguese journalist that an agreement has been reached over personal terms and with news coming to light of the club record fee the Whites are prepared to offer.
The Whites recorded a solid 14th-placed finish on their return to the Premier League in the season just gone; a fine effort for Daniel Farke, who will soon be rewarded with a new contract at Leeds United off the back of his achievements.
The German, having just completed his third year in the job, has laid down a challenge to the board about backing his ambitious plans to transform Leeds from not just a Premier League survivor, but a team that can ultimately challenge the country’s very best teams.
With that in mind, the focus this summer looks to be on quality over quantity additions, with Farke understood to be seeking a new goalkeeper, a left-sided centre-half, cover at left wing-back, a new centre forward and an attacking midfielder cum winger.
As far as a new left-sided centre-half is concerned, it emerged earlier this week that Leeds had joined the race to sign Sporting CP defender Diomande this summer, amid claims the Portuguese side are open to his sale.
While the news originally emanated in Africa, it was quickly validated by our transfer correspondent Fraser Fletcher, who was able to confirm that intermediaries have been holding talks over a potential club record deal.
Now, according to Portuguese journalist Christian Vaquero, writing on X, the Whites have reached an agreement in principle with the player over a blockbuster move to Elland Road.
He claims Diomande has now agreed terms over the switch and has given the green light to join the ambitious West Yorkshire outfit if a deal can be agreed and with negotiations now ‘in the final stretch’.
Furthermore, details have emerged over the mammoth fee Leeds are prepared to spend to bring the 22-year-old Ivory Coast international to the club this summer…
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Vaquero goes on to claim Leeds are willing to offer a package worth €45m (£39m, $52m) for Diomande, who can play with either foot and is comfortable operating either in a flat back four or, as he did under Ruben Amorim, in a 3-5-2 formation, similar to what Leeds play now.
That fee would beat the club’s current transfer record which is currently set at the £35.5m paid to Hoffenheim for Georginio Rutter in January 2023.
The Mirror has backed that up by claiming Leeds’ offer could actually be higher, with £35m paid up front and another £8m in add-ons
However, that remains to be seen if the offer proves enough to twist Sporting’s arm over a sale, though initial reports this week did state the Liga Portugal runners-up were looking for a minimum fee of €50m (£43.2m, $57.5m) before they consider his sale.
Either way, such a fee would represent a club record fee for Leeds United and their ambitious overlords, 49ers Enterprises.
While it is understandable that some fans would doubt the validity of Leeds spending such a fee on a defender, sources are adamant that, after speaking to intermediaries acting for the player, that a move to Elland Road is a genuine possibility.
And while there is absolutely no noise coming out of the club with regards to this – and understandably so – the club does have big, big plans to add four to five quality additions to Farke’s squad this summer.
Any summer investments will also be backed up by one of two strategic sales to further boost their kitty, and there remains speculation that Pascal Struijk, with just a year remaining on his current deal, could be allowed to move on for the right price.
Leeds value the 26-year-old between the £20m to £25m mark, and it’s understood they would be open to his sale if the right offer came in.
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