€80m for a player currently paid €300k a year – You cannot be serious

Chelsea, Newcastle United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool have all been linked with Ousmane Diomande over the past week.

The Premier League clubs are thought to be very keen on the Sporting defender and considering a move in the summer. Mauricio Pochettino’s side have been said to be in the lead but Chelsea will certainly face competition.

Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal may have a better financial standing in the summer than Newcastle or Chelsea, and should be able to offer Champions League football which won’t be on offer at St. James’ Park or Stamford Bridge.

Saturday’s edition of A Bola says all five Premier League clubs are following the defender closely, and Sporting ‘expect harassment’ from them in the summer.

The Lisbon club are hoping for a package worth €80m including bonuses, and A Bola point out Diomande is one of the lowest paid player’s in Sporting’s squad.

As it stands, his salary is just €300k per year and he very much deserves a big pay rise. His club want to hand out a renewal but it’s not clear whether they’d want a new release clause with that.

All of Chelsea, Newcastle United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool would offer more, and it seems somewhat unfair that Sporting can tie players to such high release clauses without the wages to match.