Former Man United chief scout claims Chelsea could miss out on £60m signing to Crystal Palace | OneFootball

Crystal Palace are confident of beating the likes of Chelsea to the signing of Sporting Lisbon centre back Ousmane Diomande according to former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown.

Chelsea are once again set for a busy summer and have already secured the signing of Liam Delap from Ipswich for £30m.

The Blues face a critical window and whilst they could still add another striker, they are looking for a centre back and right footed attacker to bolster Enzo Maresca’s squad.

Crystal Palace confident they can beat Chelsea to Ousmane Diomande

There’s expected to be plenty of movement at centre back this summer with the likes of Axel Disasi and Renato Veiga set to leave the club.

Question marks surround the future of Benoit Badiashile, whilst Trevoh Chalobah is attracting interest from Napoli, although Chelsea aren’t actively looking to sell the England international.

The Blues have been linked with Marc Guehi, Jarrad Branthwaite and Jorrel Hato this summer, whilst there’s been previous interest Diomande.

Diomande has been previously linked with Chelsea. (Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)

Brown believes Palace are confident they can beat Chelsea and Manchester United to the signing of the Sporting Lisbon centre back.

“Crystal Palace are confident they can sign these big-name players,” he told Football Insider.

“If they’re going to lose Guehi, they think Diomande would be an ideal replacement.

“I’ve heard his name mentioned with the likes of Man United, Chelsea, Liverpool, and he’s clearly a very talented player with a lot of ability.

“Palace scouts have been watching him both in the league and in Europe and they’ve been impressed.

More Stories / Latest News

Former Man United chief scout claims Chelsea could miss out on £60m signing to Crystal Palace

11th Jun 2025, 09:45am

Latest Matt Law update gives hint on Chelsea’s plan for “scary” £11.9m man

11th Jun 2025, 09:15am

“Already decided” – Fabrizio Romano reveals Chelsea’s plan for future of €15m ace

11th Jun 2025, 08:45am

“If they can convince him to make the move, especially with European football now, it will be seen as a huge coup for them.

“But as I say, they’re confident and have no reason to believe they can’t bring him in.”

Jorrel Hato could be most likely defensive signing

Links to centre backs have been quiet in recent weeks and it appears as things stand Jorrel Hato could be the most likely signing.

The 19-year-old is a left back who can also play at centre back , and he’d provide much needed cover for Marc Cucurella.

Chelsea are said to have held initial conversations with Ajax over a move for the teenager and it will be interesting to see how this one progresses.