Man Utd plan raid for £67m defender after talking with Amorim

Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim has talked with Ousmane Diomande, his former protégé at Sporting Lisbon, over a move to Old Trafford.

Weakness at the back has been one of the major problems for the club yet again this season. The inability to create a solid defence with goals shipped far too easily was one of reasons why Erik ten Hag lost his job.

And Amorim aims to remedy this by bringing in a tried and tested centre-half who he knows well but he won't come cheaply with an anticipated price tag of around £65 million.

The central defender, who blossomed into a key player for Sporting during Amorim's tenure, is well appreciated by the Portuguese coach. Despite interest from Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City, Diomande is tipped to join United, largely due to Amorim's presence at the club.

A possible hurdle for United, however, could be Diomande's £65 million release clause, which Sporting may insist upon due to the amount of interest in him from top clubs.

With the outstanding development of several Sporting players under Amorim, United fans might well fancy more of their stars joining the club.

Diomande, a promising 20-year-old talent, could indeed bolster the Reds’ defence.

Whether Sporting Lisbon are willing to lose yet another star to United after Amorim will be intriguing to watch, with Lisbon keen on retaining their top talent like Diomande as they restructure under a new coach

United have had their share of defensive dilemmas with unconvincing performances from Matthijs de Ligt and the injury-prone Leny Yoro. As such, Diomande could potentially be a great fit as he is familiar with Amorim's preferred defensive setup of three at the back.