Who is Palace target Diomande?

With Marc Guehi potentially on the move, Crystal Palace are reportedly interested in replacing him with Sporting centre-back Ousmane Diomande for a club record fee.Ivory Coast-born Diomande, 21, has long been on the radar of top European sides. He joined the academy at Danish club Midtjylland in January 2020 and made his senior debut three years ago on loan with Portuguese second division side Mafra.His performances earned a mid-season move to Sporting, where Diomande was nurtured by Ruben Amorim. He started the coach's last home game in charge of Sporting as they beat Manchester City 4-1 in the Champions League last November. Diomande, who has nine caps for his country, made 46 appearances in 2024-25 as Sporting won the domestic double.He attempted and completed more passes than any other player in Portugal's top flight last season and also carried the ball five metres or more up the pitch on an unrivalled 598 occasions, highlighting his ball-playing ability.Diomande is strong in the air too. His 65% success rate in aerial duels was the seventh highest in the division, and 11% more than Guehi managed in the 2024-25 Premier League.

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