Newcastle have taken the lead in the battle to snap up Sporting Lisbon defender Ousmane Diomande, according to A BOLA.

The Portuguese tabloid claims the Magpies are now “ahead” of their rivals in their attempts to secure the Ivorian international’s services..

It is believed that Eddie Howe’s team have made enquiries about Diomande recently and they are now investigating ways to get a deal agreed with Sporting.

However, there is still one big obstacle in the way that may stop Newcastle from signing the 20-year-old this summer.

Diomande has a sizeable release clause

When the centre-back moved from FC Midtjylland to Sporting in January last year, he signed a contract which included a buyout fee worth €80m (£69m).

A BOLA report that Magpies are looking to negotiate down the price so they don’t have to pay such a significant sum upfront. That is not a surprise considering the club’s current financial situation.

It has been suggested that the club may need to raise as much as £50m from player sales before June 30th in order to comply with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules. Meeting Diomande’s release clause is, therefore, very unrealistic as things stand.

Newcastle will have a lot of competition for the player

There are at least four other Premier League clubs pursuing Diomande, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City having all kept tabs on the Ivorian over the past year or so.

Teams on the continent, including the likes of Bayern Munich and Juventus, have also sent scouts to watch him in action. If Sporting do stick to the guns by asking clubs to pay his buyout clause, though, Newcastle may well have to withdraw from the race for his signature.

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