Nottingham Forest have completed the signing of Ousmane Diomande from Sporting CP, confirming a deal worth around €40m (£34.3m) that brings an end to a summer-long pursuit of the Ivory Coast centre-back. The 22-year-old has signed a four-year contract at the City Ground, with the club holding the option to extend it by a further season. Forest chief football officer George Syrianos said Diomande has "fantastic experience for a defender of his age" and called him "a powerful, commanding defender", while the player himself said: "I am very happy to be here. It is a historic club, and it motivates me to join such a club."
The move has been driven by head coach Oliver Glasner, who tried to sign Diomande while he was in charge at Crystal Palace and identified him as a priority target once he took over at Forest this summer. Glasner favours a back three, and Diomande's mix of physical presence, aerial power and comfort in possession fits the profile that system needs. At 6ft 3in, he offers the kind of authority Forest have been short of at the back, and his willingness to step into midfield with the ball should help Forest build play from deep rather than simply clearing their lines under pressure.
The deal ends a transfer saga that ran for much of the summer, with Diomande previously the subject of strong interest from other Premier League clubs before Forest pushed a deal over the line. Sporting resisted approaches for the defender throughout the window, only agreeing terms as speculation around his future intensified. To soften the blow, the Portuguese club moved quickly to sign Ibrahima Ba as a replacement for around £17m, with the Senegalese defender expected to partner Goncalo Inacio in central defence this season.
Sporting lose a player who had become one of their most important defenders over four seasons in Lisbon, making 132 appearances and helping the club win two Primeira Liga titles. He was also a key figure as Sporting reached the Champions League knockout stages in 2024-25. In his final season at the club he made 17 Liga Portugal appearances and featured nine times in the Champions League, remaining a regular starter for a side competing on multiple fronts right up until his exit.
Diomande's stock has risen quickly on the international stage too. He was part of the Ivory Coast squad that won the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and has gone on to earn 15 caps for his country, including an appearance at this summer's World Cup. That blend of club and international experience at only 22 is a big part of why Forest were prepared to commit a significant fee.
At Forest, Diomande should slot into a back three alongside the club's existing central defenders, with Ola Aina and Neco Williams providing width from wing-back and Ibrahim Sangare and Xaver Schlager holding things together in midfield. Given his age and the size of the fee, Forest will want him to become a first-team fixture quickly rather than easing him in gradually as Glasner looks to bed in his system for the new season.