Chelsea have reached out to Sporting over the possibility of buying two players with a combined value of £156million, according to reports. The Blues have been the Premier League’s busiest club in terms of transfers over the last few windows and have been widely tipped to seek even more reinforcements in January.
Chelsea are thought to be keen on adding a new centre-back to their squad as Mauricio Pochettino looks to boost his defensive options for the business end of the campaign. They have already contacted Sporting to enquire about a potential move for highly-rated youngster Ousmane Diomande, according to the Evening Standard.
Diomande, 20, has been turning plenty of heads with his impressive performances for Sporting since joining the club nearly 12 months ago. He is valued highly by the Portuguese heavyweights, who are reportedly unwilling to sell him to Chelsea unless they are prepared to pay his £69m release clause.
It is said that Diomande has been identified as one of Chelsea’s top targets, with the Blues facing a shortage of available options at the back. Wesley Fofana is out with a long-term knee injury and may not return until next season, while Trevoh Chalobah and Thiago Silva could both leave when the current campaign draws to a close.
The west Londoners could also look to sign another striker in January, with Nicolas Jackson having failed to prove his worth since moving to Stamford Bridge over the summer. Sporting forward Viktor Gyokeres, who joined the club from Coventry City at the end of last season, is thought to be among the potential targets on Chelsea’s shortlist.
A separate enquiry is said to have been made regarding Gyokeres’ availability due to his incredible form in Portugal over the last few months. The 25-year-old has bagged seven goals and eight assists so far this season but, like Diomande, will only be allowed to leave if his full release clause is paid out.
Gyokeres reportedly has an £87m break clause written into his contract and it remains to be seen whether Chelsea will be prepared to stump up the cash next month. Pochettino has already insisted that he wants the club to sign more players when the bidding opens. with the Blues stuck firmly in mid-table and in dire need of improvements.
“If we are not receiving enough, maybe we need to do some movement,” said the Chelsea boss earlier this month. “That is the thing to analyse with the sporting directors, to see if we can change this dynamic and improve in the second half of the season.
“We need to be more aggressive, then it’s a massive assessment and when the transfer window opens, we will see what we can do. I don’t say if I am going to ask for more or less players. It’s to see if the perception matches the reality. We are missing something. We need to improve our reality.”
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