Nottingham Forest have pulled off one of the most ambitious moves of the summer transfer window, agreeing a deal with Sporting CP for highly rated defender Ousmane Diomandé.
The Premier League outfit will pay a fixed fee of £34.3 million to land the 22-year-old Ivory Coast international, who travels to England to complete his medicals before putting pen to paper on a proposed five-year contract.
Once linked with European giants like Arsenal, Manchester United, and Real Madrid, Diomandé established himself as one of the elite defensive prospects in European football during his stint in Lisbon.
Standing at 6 ft 3, Diomandé brings an elite combination of aerial dominance, physical recovery pace, and progressive ball-carrying ability and perfect fit for Oliver Glasner’s tactical system, slotted comfortably on the right side of a three-man defense.
Sporting CP originally acquired Diomandé from Danish side Midtjylland in January 2023 for roughly £6.5m. Although the defender possessed an £68.6m release clause in his deal signed earlier this year, Sporting agreed to accept half that value up front to complete the deal and record another substantial profit.
