According to reports, Chelsea have reached out to Sporting Lisbon in regards to the potential January transfer windows of Ousmane Diomande and Viktor Gyokeres

Since joining the Portuguese giants at the beginning of the year, defender Ousmane has been a mainstay, appearing in 14 Primeira Liga matches thus far. He made the move from FC Midtjylland.

Gyokeres, a Swedish international, joined Sporting from Championship side Coventry City in the summer and has been instrumental since, scoring 10 goals in 13 league games.

The 25-year-old scored 21 goals in the second division last season, propelling Mark Robins’ team to the playoff final, and the Sky Blues reaped over £20 million for him.

The Standard reports that Chelsea have reached out to Sporting Lisbon on the possibility of Diomande and Gyokeres joining the club in the new year.

In May of 2023, Sporting Lisbon’s Ousmane Diomande responded.

Even though the Blues already have a lot of choices at center defense, the report states that Mauricio Pochettino has made it a priority to sign a new player in January.

Wesley Fofana, a French defender, will miss significant time with a knee injury, while Thiago Silva, a seasoned veteran, will have his contract at Stamford Bridge expire this summer.

To help pay for new players like Diomande and Gyokeres, the West Londoners are trying to unload academy product Trevoh Chalobah.

It has been reported that Chelsea made an early approach to sign the defender, but Ruben Amorim’s Sporting have declined, citing the player’s £69 million release clause as the reason.

The fact that Diomande’s previous club Midtjylland will get 20% of Sporting’s earnings from selling the 20-year-old adds another layer of complexity to any deal involving the Ivorian.

On September 17, 2023, Ousmane Diomande of Sporting Lisbon celebrates with teammates after scoring the team’s third goal.

Supposedly, the Primeira Liga leaders are insisting that Chelsea pay the £87 million release clause for leading marksman Gyokeres, just like they are doing in their negotiations with Chelsea.

Rumor has it that Pochettino’s squad is looking to strengthen their midfield with a new signing to help them in the second half of the season, but adding a player to the engine room is not right now.

The Blues have the option to bring back Andrey Santos, a teenage midfielder on loan from Nottingham Forest, who has only played seven minutes of Premier League football since moving to the East Midlands.

Chelsea will go to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Christmas Eve in an attempt to win the Premier League in consecutive games for the first time since early October.