Leeds United is apparently done waiting around. The club is preparing to shatter its all-time transfer record with a massive bid for Sporting CP centre-back Ousmane Diomande, a 22-year-old Ivory Coast international who has become one of the most coveted defenders in European football.
The reported offer stands at up to £35 million with an additional £8 million in potential add-ons, bringing the total package to approximately £43 million, or roughly €50 million. That would blow past the club’s current record of £35.5 million, paid for Georginio Rutter when he arrived from Hoffenheim in January 2023.
What Leeds is actually chasing
Diomande has racked up 132 appearances for Sporting CP since joining the Portuguese giants in 2023, scoring 7 goals along the way. He has earned between 14 and 15 caps for the Ivory Coast.
Sporting clearly doesn’t want to lose him. The club handed Diomande a contract extension in January 2026 that runs through at least the 2029/30 season. That deal came with a release clause reportedly set at €80 million, which works out to around £69 million.
