Nottingham Forest set to sign Ousmane Diomande from Sporting CP for €40m | OneFootball

According to NY Times, Nottingham Forest are set to sign Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande for €40 million (£34.3m, $46.2m). The deal is being finalised and, if all goes to plan, the 22-year-old is due to fly later on Saturday for a medical before a proposed five-year contract.

The Athletic reported on July 22 that Forest were in advanced talks over Diomande, who has attracted interest from across Europe this summer.

Diomande represented Ivory Coast at the World Cup this summer alongside Forest midfielder Ibrahim Sangare. He has made 132 appearances for Sporting since joining from Danish side Midtjylland in January 2023 and has 16 caps for his country.

Forest have already signed midfielder Xaver Schlager on a free transfer from RB Leipzig as new head coach Oliver Glasner shapes his squad. Sangare and centre-back Murillo agreed new deals this summer, running until 2029 and 2030 respectively.

The addition of Diomande is viewed as a significant statement and could provide a key piece in Glasner’s defensive plan. At Crystal Palace, he favoured a back three with a balanced mix of attributes.

Diomande is seen as complementing Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic to build something similar at the City Ground. He would add height and physical presence for set pieces, while remaining confident on the ball.

Forest felt they were close to landing Diomande during their training camp in Portugal. Although talks took longer than expected to conclude, this is considered a pivotal early step in Glasner’s tenure.

Source: NY Times

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”