Crystal Palace to sign Ruben Amorim's old centre-back?! Eagles hoping to complete £45m deal for Sporting CP ace who has previously been linked with Chelsea

The FA Cup winners are looking to bolster their squad ahead of the 2025-26 campaign and have taken a big step towards the signing of a centre-back, which is a key priority for the club. According to BBC Sport, negotiations with Sporting CP regarding Diomande's future are underway.

Former Sporting boss and current Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim reportedly played an important role in 'nurturing' Diomande while in charge of the Portuguese outfit. The Ivory Coast international has progressed admirably in recent seasons and is valued at roughly £40 million. If Palace end up paying that sum, it would break their current transfer record of £32 million (for Christian Benteke in 2016).

Palace's big-spending London rivals Chelsea have also been linked with Diomande in the past, with the Blues pointing to the youngster as a key transfer target in late 2023 during Mauricio Pochettino's reign. But that pursuit appears to have ended, and right now the club is primarily targeting attackers with BVB's Jamie Gittens the latest forward in their sights.

A cloud looms over Palace as they try to conduct their summer transfer activity, with their place in next season's Europa League currently under threat due to UEFA rules forbidding individuals from having control of more than one club in the same competition. Palace co-owner John Textor has a majority stake in French side Lyon, who also qualified for the competition. Palace are expecting a decision to be made on their future by late June.