Man Utd on red alert as £70m Ruben Amorim favourite stalls over new contract

Manchester United are closely monitoring Ousmane Diomande’s situation at Sporting, with the defender’s talks over a new contract reportedly at an impasse.
Enjoying his third full season with Sporting at just 21 years of age, Diomande has built a reputation as one of most accomplished and highly regarded young centre-backs in Portuguese football.
He played an instrumental role as Sporting successfully defended their Primeira Liga title last season, making 31 appearances across the club’s triumphant top-flight campaign.
Diomande also lifted the Portuguese Cup last term and has twice been named in the Primeira Liga Team of the Year.
But having entered into the final 18 months of his contract with Sporting, speculation has been mounting that this season could be Diomande’s last in Lisbon.
According to A Bola, Sporting’s hierarchy have been doing everything in their power to tie Diomande down with an extension, but there has been resistance from the defender and his camp – and there is no sign of any progress at this stage.
The Portuguese champions have been hoping to renew Diomande’s contract to 2030 and would be prepared to offer the centre-half a significant improvement on his current €400,000-a-year (£350,000-a-year) wages.
When it comes to contract renewals, Diomande is viewed as one of Sporting’s top priorities, alongside the likes Francisco Trincao, Geny Catamo and Goncalo Inacio.
Diomande has a €80million (£70m) release cause at the Estadio Jose Alvalade and the report claims there are ‘many interested parties in England’.
The Ivory Coast international is on the radar of both Manchester United and Newcastle and has been for some time. Crystal Palace are also said to be ‘very attentive’ to Diomande’s situation.
Ruben Amorim was Diomande’s first manager at Sporting and remains an admirer of the towering 6 ft 3 in defender, who he helped sign from FC Midtjylland in 2022.
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Amorim started Diomande in his final home match in charge of Sporting last November, when the Primeira Liga outfit ran out 4-1 victors over Manchester City in the Champions League.
Not long after, widespread reports claimed Diomande had grown increasingly interested in the prospect of following Amorim to Old Trafford after speaking privately with his former manager.
Manchester City have also been credited with a strong interest in Diomande in the past, with the club’s director of football, Hugo Viana, having previously worked with the centre-back at Sporting.
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