Nottingham Forest Sign Ousmane Diomande For £34m

Nottingham Forest have secured the signing of Ivory Coast defender Ousmane Diomande for a club-record £34 million fee. The 22-year-old centre-back has inked a four-year contract with the Premier League side, which includes an option to extend for another season. Diomande expressed his enthusiasm about joining Forest, calling it a historic club and vowing to contribute to their success this campaign.

The new arrival is set to gel with head coach Oliver Glasner's preferred 3-5-2 formation, potentially partnering with Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo in a back three. Despite his youthful age, Diomande brings a wealth of experience, having earned 15 caps for Ivory Coast and been included in their 2026 World Cup squad. He began his career in Ivory Coast before transferring to Denmark, where he played for FC Midtjylland before moving to Sporting Lisbon in January 2023.

At Sporting, Diomande made 132 appearances and was instrumental in the club's consecutive league titles in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, as well as their quarter-final exit in last season's Champions League. Glasner, a longtime admirer of the defender, previously tried to sign him during his tenure as Crystal Palace manager. Forest's chief football officer, George Syrianos, praised Diomande's experience, physicality, and winning mentality, confident that his success with Sporting will facilitate his swift adaptation to life at the club.

This acquisition follows Forest's free transfer signing of Austria midfielder Xaver Schlager in July.